The Guard
by joyfulbarbie
Summary: After Thomas Cabot is elected as New York City's Mayor he and his family, including his 16-year-old daughter Alexandra, are forced to have personal guards. Olivia Benson is a 24-year-old rookie who needs the money they pay for the job. Absolutely A/O and AU.
1. What comes with Daddy's Job

**A/N: Hello there! This idea came to me last night and I simply needed to write it down, I hoped you like and follow the story :) Thought, I'm really really ****_really_**** sorry if I mess up some grammar/spelling, unfortunately English is not my first language !**

**DISCLAIMER:** Okay. I accept it. I don't own Alex. I don't own Olivia. I don't own SVU or anything related. There you have it .

BUT, I do own several original characters that are part of this story, so... Take that Wolf! I do own something! Still... you own Lex and Liv so I believe I lose anyway u.u

* * *

><p>Irene Cabot was between the sword and the wall. Her husband, Thomas, had been elected New York City's Mayor only a week ago and now, she had been called to assist to the selection of their and their children's bodyguards.<p>

She understood the reasons of why each one of them needed a personal guard… But ask her children to understand them? That was something else.

Irene and Thomas had four children, two sons and two daughters. Phillip was their primogeniture and he was 20 years-old and far away in college, so he most likely wouldn't be forced to have personal security. Caleb was twelve-years-old and Irene knew for sure that he would be thrilled with the idea of having his own 'Man in Black'. Amy was only a few weeks away of turning seven, so she wouldn't need the guard 24/7; considering she spent most of her time either at home, school or some friend's house.

But then, then Alexandra came. She was sixteen, and she claimed for her own personal space as if she was claiming for global peace. Nearly everything with her was a fight;no... not a fight, worse; an argument. She had backup for every single thing she asked for. _She'll be a damn of a lawyer someday. _Irene briefly smiled at her thought. Yet again, that would happen in another time in the future, because right now, she had to deal with telling to her teenage daughter about the bodyguards' issue.

The late-forties woman swallowed and knocked the three doors that leaded to her children's rooms. Amy, Caleb and Alex leaved their rooms and followed their mother to the living room.

Irene placed herself at the edge of one of the chesterfield type sofas. The younger kids sat down on the one next to her mother's expecting that their sister would take the remaining place of it, instead, Alex sat down on the arm chair opposite to where her mother was and crossed her arms and legs reluctantly. She hated the 'family meetings' they were _never_ sign of a good thing.

Mrs. Cabot sighed and made her eyes go from her lap, to her children, to come back to her own lap. "Kids, your father's security crew asked me to increase the staff." She figured out that was a smooth way to start the talk.

"What does that have to do with us?" Caleb asked looking right into his mother's eyes.

"They've said it would be appropriate for each one of us, to have an… escort, for protection. " Immediately after she spoke, Irene looked to her older daughter. Alex stared at her with disbelief and her mother could already imagine the upcoming argument. She heard Caleb saying 'Cool' and continued talking "I'll meet with the security chief to make the selection of our guards. If you like so, you can come and choose yours."

"As if we were in a toy store." Alex said sarcastically.

"Yee-pee! Toys! Mommy can I get a new doll? I cut Tracy's hair and it didn't grow again like mine." Amy finally talked.

"Sure, honey. But first we need to choose your guard. You know, it'll be like the ones on the princesses' movies. Do you want to choose yours or I'll do it?" Irene told her little daughter softly.

"I'll pick it! He has to look like the one in the movie: black hair and with a funny mustache." Amy giggled.

"Okay." The kids' mother glanced to Caleb and then to Alex again. "What about you, guys?"

The brother and sister exchanged looks and Caleb spoke first. "I'll go. I don't want you to decide on one that'll listen to Beethoven all day." He joked and all the eyes were placed on Alex.

"I guess I'll go too, I'm scared of this being your punishment for breaking into your room when you and dad were…"

"Alexandra!" Mrs. Cabot yelled and interrupted her daughter. "Close your mouth now or you'll be grounded until menopause." Alex smirked and got more comfortable in her seat.

"What's megocause?" Amy asked to Alex who just shrugged.

"You don't want to know, believe me." Caleb placed a hand on his little sister's shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

"All right, get your bags guys and we'll head out the house." Irene got up hurriedly before her children could say anything else and nearly ran to her own bedroom, avoiding her sixteen-year-old daughter.

She'd just started doing her make-up when she heard a knock on the door.

'_Well, Here it goes.'_

**Yep, there it goes :) And there's lot more to come !**


	2. Anything for my Mother

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who read the first episode and added it to alerts/faves or reviewed it! I wasn't expecting this amazing feedback! It truly motivates me! So here it goes another chap. keep reading people! I'm planning on making this last long :)**

Olivia Benson took the last seat available in the subway. She placed her bag on her lap and laid her forearms over it. A deep sigh was released.

Olivia was on her way to her new job, security staff for the City Mayor. She'd rather been on her uniform, adding rookie hours to her NYPD curriculum and getting nearer to becoming the detective she longed to be; but working to the Mayor gave her wallet a brand new bigger size, a size the brunette frankly needed.

After years of fighting, Olivia had convinced her mother to go to an alcohol rehab program. But the only one she had agreed going to, was also the most expensive one in the entire New York State.

At first, Olivia had denied to pay for the 'Luxury Alcohol Rehab' program. But then she realized this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, her mother would be clean and sober after it.

The 24-year-old woman closed her eyes to stop the tear falling from her eye. She couldn't remember an entire week where her mother had been sober each day. She loved her mother so much, and she knew her mother loved her too, but there were times when she wished she had never been born. When she put her hands over her ears so she won't be able hear all the things her mother tells her.

The train abruptly stopped and Olivia came back from her thoughts. Only five more stops and she and her mother would be one step closer from letting all the painful memories go far far away.

The door of Irene's bedroom was opened and closed in a matter of seconds. Alexandra walked in but didn't say a word. She simply stood with her arms crossed over her chest, staring at her mother's back.

She was furious. Anger shed from her pores and the older woman could felt it.

"Please, explain this to me again, why would it be absolutely necessary for me to have an 'escort'?" She used the same word her mother had employed a few minutes ago.

"Alex, you know I wouldn't do this if it wasn't completely necessary." Irene turned around to see her daughter firmly standing in front of her. She tried to get some contact moving her hand closer to caress her Alexandra's shoulder, but the younger blonde pulled away before she had the chance.

"It happens that that's not the same opinion I have about this situation, mother." Alex's fiercest stare was directed to Irene's eyes. "I surely don't need a babysitter anymore." She said without hesitation.

"I know that, sweetheart. That's way this person isn't going to be a nanny, it's just for protection. Your father has being harassed and threatened because of his ideals, thoughts and decisions before. With this new job, I don't think precaution, when it comes to our safety, is something that we shouldn't pay attention to."

"But mother I-"

"Alex." Irene firmly said. "Please, do this for your father. He already hates that we get to suffer the consequences of his job, don't make it harder." She begged to her daughter.

The teenage blonde sighed and looked to the floor, looked up back to her mother and spoke. "I'll give you two months of probation. Not even one more day. I'll take my final decision when the 60 days had past. Is that okay enough for you?"

Irene almost grinned. "You've got yourself a deal, Counselor." Alex turned around and was about to leave the room when she heard her mother calling her name. "Thank you." She said softly, Alex replied with a smile and opened the door, after little seconds, she was outside the master bedroom and her little brother was facing her.

"You didn't argue her." He stated.

Alex slightly nodded. "It's important to mom, and I don't feel like arguing too much today." She gave Caleb a tired smile.

"Alexandra Cabot isn't feeling like arguing? Who are you and what did you do with my sister?" He joked while he leaned himself against the hallway's pale yellow wall.

"It happens, especially after totally beating you in chess like I did last night." Alex smirked at him with her hands on each sip her hips.

"Oh, you better get yourself the best bodyguard, 'cuz you're going to need it." He started chasing her big sister all over the Mayor's mansion. They ran through the living room, kitchen, dining area and two hallways until they reached the garden were one of the dogs joined them. Several servants stopped their tasks for a moment to witness the playful side of the siblings.

Alex finally gave up after more than fifteen minutes of escaping from her brother; she untied the white lace that dressed her hair and fluttered it. She lowered her chest and pressed her hands onto her knees.

"You win, you win." She said with her last breath. Alex let her body go and laid her back on the green grass. Caleb took a place next to her and saw the clouds filling the blue sky over them.

"Remember that time we went camping with Phillip?" He said softly.

"He forgot to pack the tent so we slept outside the entire weekend. Mom almost killed us when she found out." Alex let go a durable belly-laugh.

Seconds after, she felt her brother turned her head to face her. "I miss when you laugh like that" Caleb stated.

"I miss it too, you know." Alex gave a sad smile to the younger kid and pulled her chest up again. "C'mon, we gotta go choose our X-Men" She grabbed his hand and made him get up from the floor too. They found Irene and Amy and the four members of the Cabot clan made their way to the Security Chief's office. It was going to be a long day.

**X-Men love the feedback! Press the adorable button that makes me happy!**


	3. Potential Guards

**A/N: Hi there! I really really want to thank you everyone who added the story to favs/alerts! I wasn't going to upload this episode today, but you guys had being so amazing with the feedback that I couldn't resist myself! So, in this chapter we've got more SVU characterrrs :) ENJOY!**

Irene walked her way through the building with her six-year-old daughter holding her hand while Alex and Caleb followed behind them. The four siblings entered into the Security Chief's office and saw the mid-sixties bold man that was already expecting them.

"Irene! So good to see you again!" He greeted the elder Cabot.

"You too, Don." She smiled at the man and introduced her children. "Kids, this is Security Chief Donald Cragen. Chief, these are Amy, Caleb and Alex."

"It's nice to meet all of you. Your parents talk wonders about each one of their children." Cragen said. The three Cabot kids smiled and greeted him politely before the Chief started explaining how they were going to select their guards.

Cragen had already pre-selected his best twenty men. A table and five chairs had been set in another room a few minutes before the family arrived. They got into the new area and everyone sat down looking at the files positioned over the table. The papers contained the proper information about each one of the 20 potential guards.

Who seemed to be the Chief's secretary entered to the room with them but stayed on her heels. After a few seconds getting himself comfortable in his place, Cragen motioned the early-thirties woman and she called a name outside the room.

A tall white man made his way inside. He greeted everyone and sat on a chair sited a few feet in front of where Cragen and the family were located. Everyone grabbed the first file of their piles, with the exception of Amy, who shared her mother's.

Irene started making simple questions to the gentleman and the interview lasted around fifteen minutes. After he left the room, the Cabots took note of what they thought about him and called the next man in.

A little more than three hours had passed since their search had started, and with only five more to end the selection, Irene decided it was time for a break, especially for Amy.

Cragen headed off the room and went to get the family drinks and some snack.

"So what do you guys think?" The mother asked to her children.

"I liked the one that was alike a rapper." Caleb sought between his files the one he wanted. "This one! Odafin Tutuola. Cool name, huh?"

"I loved him; he looked as if he would kick your ass if you mess up. Odafin will perfect for you." Alex rubbed her little brother's hair and laughed.

"Oh yeah? Which one did you choose, my dear sister?" He asked.

"Haven't picked up one yet. " The blonde shrugged. "Thank goodness we still have five more options." She mumbled. "And you, Amy?" She turned the attention to her sister.

"I didn't found one that looked like the one in the princesses' movie!" The little girl pouted.

The older siblings exchanged looks. They've seen the pictures of the five guards that came ahead, and neither of them had black hair and mustache like Amy wanted.

Suddenly, Irene's eyes opened widely and she spoke loud and clearly. "I have an idea!" She said as if she had just discovered America. "What if, instead of picking one that looks like the princess' guard, you pick one that looks like the prince?"

Amy's face couldn't express more happiness than after her mother shared her idea. She was going to have her own prince to escort her, and she was only six. "I know which one!" She quickly searched between the pictures of the candidates and shouted 'him' when she found the desired picture.

"Brian Cassidy." Her mother read in the back of the picture. "I liked him. If you don't like any of the followings better, he can be your guard." She smiled tenderly to her youngest daughter.

Cragen returned with juice boxes and some snacks from the vending machine. The Cabot children razed with the provisions and after a few more minutes of break, they resumed the search.

Another two men went in and out in twenty minutes. Neither of them gave the family a better impression than the already chosen ones. Alex was losing her patience, not even one of the potential guards they'd interviewed had caught her attention.

Even her mother had picked up her own guard already, Elliot Stabler. He had somewhat of Irish descent, and if Alex knew her mother, that was why she had chosen him. Irene's great-grandmother had been Irish, so the fact that this man had some green in his blood, make her feel safe and trust him in an instant.

In the middle of the antepenultimate candidate's interview, the door was knocked. The Chief's secretary leaved the room and came back in seconds.

"Chief Cragen, Benson is here." She told the bold man.

"Oh, I completely forgot she started today, let her come in. I'll give her the basics and we can go on with this." Don instructed the lady.

The woman nodded and opened the door, letting a tall brunette in. Cragen had already stood up and walked several steps to greet his new staff member. Their hands were shook and the Chief started talking to the leggy female.

Alex's eyes couldn't help but stare. She had never seen such a beautiful, strong and stunning woman as the one standing a few feet away from her. She was magnetized by her. The blonde had to tell herself to pull her jaw up again, but her body didn't responded. She could only keep looking at the gorgeous brown eyed woman that was talking to Don.

***CHUNG CHUNG!***

**and there it goes the third chapter! feedback makes me happy :)**


	4. An Enjoyable Experience

**A/N: Wow! Just... Wow! You're the most amazing readers ever! THANK YOU for so much feedback and adds and reads and everything! I really really appreciate it! I know my chaps are not the longest ones, I'm trying on making them a little longer but maybe 1K is like my lucky number haha. Well, here goes the four chapter! Hope you like it and keep reading :)**

Alexandra Cabot felt the rush of emotions running through her stomach. Silently, she cursed every single teenage hormone in her body.

Blue eyes began admiring every curve of the olive-skin woman. She saw how the long dark hair fell straight to end over the lady's chest. A white tee and a blue sweater were situated right below the brown leather jacket that suited her in all the right places. The brunette was dressed in a pair of black slacks that Alex had never thought could look that great on someone, or even half as great.

A noisy sneeze drove Alex out of her daydreaming, she looked to the potential guard they've been interviewing before the woman's entrance.

The meeting was cut around after the first five minutes but Alex hadn't even learned his name. She glanced at the file in front of her. "_Chester Lake"_ The blonde read_._ He did seem to be a nice guy and Cragen had pre-selected him, so he must be pretty good at his job too. But she didn't like the idea of having Lake around her the whole day. Now, the image of having the brun- _Benson, _Alex remembered the previous conversation between the Chief and his secretary. The simple idea of Miss Benson following right behind her every time she was out of her house seemed taken out of one of her dreams.

Chester sneezed one more time. "Bless." Benson spoke loudly for the first time and Alex wished the woman had recorded some kind of CD so she couldn't listen to the beautiful voice whenever she wanted to. _Oh, Cabot, you're so screwed up. Control your hormones before you say something stupid._

And that was exactly what she did, because as she concluded her thought, she saw Cragen shaking Benson's hand greeting goodbye. The teenager couldn't let the woman leave the room, even less if that meant she had to keep interviewing men she didn't want as her guards.

The brunette turned away and when she was a few steps apart from the door 'something stupid' stopped her.

"Wait." Alex quickly said and turned to Cragen. "I want her."

"Well, sure you do." Caleb muttered loud enough his sister could hear it. Alex's elbow jostled his own and the young boy chuckled.

"I mean as my bodyguard." She rephrased and all those present stared at the blonde teenager in disbelief.

The brunette moved her eyes to Alex for the first time since she'd arrived. She had been so disposed to start her new job right away; she had concentrated her mind only in the Chief's words.

The tall woman felt the energy, light and power that shed from the bright blue eyes of the blonde. She had seen pictures and videos of Alexandra on the news and in person the sixteen-year-old was just like they showed you, but a billion times even more beautiful.

Her brown eyes moved back to Cragen, expecting that he'll give the verdict and decided to concede or not the motion. Don was opening his mouth to speak when another voice was heard before.

"Alex, though I'm sure Miss Benson would do an excellent job, Chief Cragen already pre-selected not less than twenty men to choose between them. You should decide on one of them." Irene tried to get her daughter to reason, but she knew that once that something was in the young woman's mind she won't stop until she gets it.

"Mother, I believe that if someone is going to be behind every single step I make, it's my right to decide who that person will be. And, as you'd said it, I'm sure Miss Benson would do an excellent job." Alex replied to Irene in her best professional voice.

Mrs. Cabot sighed looking down to the table. "Chief?" Her eyes and everyone else's were placed on Cragen waiting for a final decision. The man deliberated in silence a few moments before speaking.

"If that's what you wish, Miss Cabot… I also believe Miss Benson would do an excellent job as your personal guard." The Chief said making the both young women smiled.

Chester Lake stood up. "Then I guess I'm going back to my usual duties." He politely greeted everyone and left the room.

"Thank you, Chief Cragen." Alex thanked the bold man excited.

"Mommy, can we go back home now?" Amy pulled of her mom's skirt insistently.

"Yes, Amy." Irene stood up and the children imitated their mother.

"Your new guards will be at your service the moment you arrive, I'll call the rest now and let them know the address and they'll be there as fast as possible. Even though, Miss Benson here can go with you right now." Cragen pointed to Alex's new guard as he finished his phrase.

Irene nodded. "I was hoping they could spend the entire weekend with the family. So everyone can get to know each other better." She said.

"I'm sure it won't be a problem, Irene." He responded to the lady's request.

"We'll be meeting soon then." The Cabot woman said her goodbyes and her two youngest children followed her out the room first.

Alex's eyes met her new guard's own and the brunette smiled at her. _I will totally get comfortably used to that smile. _She thought as she curved her lips softly smiling back.

"After you, Miss Cabot." The tall woman placed besides the door motioned Alex to leave the room first.

The blonde took a few steps and when she was in front of the other female stopped and talked. "I think it would be better if you just call me Alex, Miss Benson."

"Alex will be then, but only if you call me Olivia." She said and Alex almost melted in Olivia's gentle brown eyes talking to her.

She retained her smile highly and walked through the door with Olivia besides her. Little seconds after both women were right behind the rest of the Cabot clan. Caleb slowed his pace a bit and waited for Alex.

"So, you're still against this whole bodyguards idea?" He smirked at her as he rapidly got to give Olivia a few glances.

"You know, I think I'm going to enjoy this experience so much more than what I initially thought I would." Alex smiled at her younger brother after she spoke quietly near his ear. She looked at Olivia one last time before getting into the car.

_Oh yeah, I'm so going to enjoy having her following me everywhere._

__**And who wouldn't Lex? Lucky girl she is. Maybe if you review you can be as lucky as she is! I'll try clicking the button below if I were you...**


	5. A Cinderella Story

**A/N: Hi there! This chapter turned out to be nothing as I expected it would be, but well, if the muse appears in a different way i'm not going to refuse, right? haha. I hope you like it as much as I do! Yet again, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE FEEDBACK!**

What is was expected to be a normal 20 minutes path to the Cabot residence easily turned into an interrogatory for Olivia. She hadn't being interviewed by the family as the rest of her new colleagues… colleagues that she didn't even know yet. She started thinking about how the other guards should be experimented men, with years of loyalty to the Government Office. Olivia didn't know a thing about her coworkers; she barely knew anything about the person she was supposed to protect under _any_ circumstance! _And the thing I barely know is that she's blonde and hot. _She thought as she glanced at the young lady sitting next to her. _Shut up, Benson. She's 16 for god's sake! Not even mentioning that you work for her. _

"Olivia, would you open the window a bit, please?" Alex asked her and tenderly placed her hand over the brunette's knee. Olivia wished Alex had leant her hand over other parts of her anatomy. _Oh, fuck! I'm acting like a damn teenager, because of a damn teenager! I need to get laid as soon as possible._

Olivia nodded after realizing Alex was actually asking her to do something. She begun opened the window and stopped when it was half-down.

They were arriving to their destiny and the large gate located before the main entrance was a few meters away. Once they've past through it, Olivia could now see the house perfectly. Her jaw opened as she saw the enormous Mayor's Mansion. It was taken out of a movie, or more than just one.

The Cabot clan entered with Olivia following behind to the mansion, their coats were taken and hanged. Mrs. Cabot told her children she had some things to do and she'll be back later to join them to dinner, a few moments before she disappeared, Alex phone rang.

The teenager opened her cell and read the text as her mother started turning around and walking away.

"Mom! Wait!" She called the older Cabot woman. "I don't think I'll eat at home tonight. Trevor is running a goodbye party to Abbie before she goes to college, are you okay if I don't join you at the dining table tonight?" Alex asked for permission choosing her words carefully. She didn't want Olivia to think she was a kid; she was a young adult and was capable of making her own decisions, but she also knew how much her mother loved to think the other way and make her ask for permission for absolutely everything.

"Sure, Alex. As long as you take Olivia with you, I have no problem. Send my congratulations to Abbie." Irene said giving her daughter a soft smile before heading to her own bedroom.

Alex was still in shock because of her mother's words. '_Take Olivia with you'. _She was going to a party with Olivia? That was beyond exciting. She was going to need the entire afternoon to get ready. She needed to wear something sexy, yet classy and mature, and she needed to be comfortable too; no woman was worth being comfortable.

Alex looked at the brunette next to her. Olivia was eagerly talking to Amy who was asking her about her favorite princess. She was ducking herself a little and her hands were over her knees. The guard's eyes seemed even brighter than before and the lovely smile on her face was making Alex melt. _Well, maybe she does worth wearing uncomfortable clothes for a night. _Alex smiled at herself and joined the conversation between her guard and her little sister.

"What's your favorite princess Amy?" Olivia asked sweetly.

"Sleeping Beauty! 'Cuz she looks like my sister." The girl tugged herself to Alex's legs and hugged her. "You looked just like her on your birthday dress."

"Aw, thank you Amy!" Alex returned the hug to the small blonde. "Do you still want to be Cinderella when you grow up?" She suddenly asked with an idea on her mind.

"Yup! I'm gonna have my fairy godmother and she's gonna make me pretty dresses. There's gonna be a blue dress, a pink dress, a purple dress, an orange dress, a yellow dress, a white dress, a dress with bows, a dress with stripes, a dress with hearts, a dress with flowers, one with-."

She was interrupted by her older sister. "I have an idea!" Alex said excitedly. "Why don't we practice when your prince will find your shoe?" She grinned at Amy.

"YEEEES!" The little girl ran as fast as she could to the top edge of the stair, Alex followed behind.

The teenage Cabot went behind a door and the six-year-old started running down the stairs as Alex made the clock's noise. Amy left her 'glass slipper' over one of the steps and ended her run tugging herself into Olivia's legs.

The brunette attempted to comment but she was shushed but the small girl. "This is the best part."

Alex came out of the door, characterized as The Grand Duke with her hair pulled up and a just drawn mustache. She jogged 'trying to catch the princess' and yelling her lines. She saw the object left on the marble step and put a panic face when she took it in her hands. Alex finished her act and ran to hold her sister in her arms as she soundly kissed her cheek. "I've found the princess! Prince Charming! I've found your princess!" She shouted not letting Amy escape from her embrace.

"Oh, Duke, how could I thank you?" Olivia joined the scene making her voice a few pitches lower. "Cinderella!" Alex passed Amy into the brunette's arms. "I'm so glad I've found you! I wanted to ask you something."

"And what would that be, Prince?" Amy cockily said with her small hands behind the olive-skin neck.

"Cinderella, love of my life, most beautiful girl in the world, would you be my princess?"

"YES, Charming!" The little blonde nuzzled against the brunette's neck base and let a yawn out.

"I think the princess needs her beauty nap." Alex took Amy back in her arms again and both women walked to the girl's room to get her in bed.

Once Amy was peacefully resting below her pink sheets, Alex left a small light on and turned the rest off. "Have a nice nap, Princess." She planted a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too, Lexi." Amy mumbled half asleep.

**Reviews may will get you your own Prince Benson! **


	6. The Party, Part I

**A/N: Hello everyone! I gotta say one more time, I'm beyond happy for the lovely feedback i'm getting! So, as many of you had review and commented about Prince Benson, I thought it was very thoughtful of me to give you some kind of a Prince Benson. No, don't wait to have Mariska Hargitay knocking on your doors tomorrow dressed as Prince Charming. BUT, if you enter to tinyurl DOT COM **/princebenson I made something pretty hilarious for you to laugh a little. ****

**And another thing, I'm translating this fic to Spanish (which is actually weird to do, considering Spanish is my native language and it should be the other way but well, i'm not a normal person so, who cares..) the first 3 chaps are already online and if any of you would like to read it, just look up for 'La Guardaespaldas' between my stories. Now, here goes you new chapter, hope everyone likes it! :)**

The armchair where Olivia was seated as she waited for Alex to get changed was getting uncomfortable. The first hour consisted in not much more than checking the time on her phone and looking up to the ceiling. Then, Irene had walked through where the brunette was, and seeing how near to lose her patience she were, the Cabot woman gave Olivia a book to entertain herself.

An hour and half later and Olivia was missing the focus on the book. Thankfully, she felt her phone vibrating. She opened it and saw a text that came from her good friend Casey.

Olivia Benson and Casey Novak had met in junior high and they've never lost touch ever since. The redhead was twenty-three years old and since she'd finished college she had been backpacking through South America. Four months had passed until now and there were still four more until she came back to New York.

The friends texted and called each other every day to catch up. So right after Olivia had acknowledged her new position as Alex's personal guard, she had informed Casey about if and the younger redhead was enjoying it. She'd get to tease her friend in each message or call.

'_How's little brat treating ya, Liv?'_ Olivia read the text and almost regrets telling Casey about it.

'_Oh, C'mon Case. She's not that bad. I'm escorting her to a party tonight." _Olivia replied and she was quickly responded.

'_B careful n dnt drnk 2 much, dnt want u 2 lose ur job on day1. '_

'_Did I ever tell you how much annoying is to read your texts filled with abbreviations?' _The brunette answered her friend half irritated half amused.

'_Yeah :P CM ASAP after the PRT! Luv u!' _Olivia stared at the screen of her phone as she tried to find out what those letters meant. _Okay, :P is a face, now… CM? What the hell Casey? Why would you write Christopher Meloni? What does him to do here? _

Alex's door opened and as Olivia looked up to see the blonde she automatically saved her phone, she could definitely try translating it to English later.

Alex was wearing a short sleeve slouchy grey tee and tight black jeans, by the moment the blonde came out of her room, Olivia was now wearing a huge dropped jaw. Alex's hair was down and a pair of silver hoop earrings finished her look. There was no way someone would ever thought Alexandra Cabot was actually sixteen-years-old with that outfit on. The brunette reminded herself to think and casually spoke to Alex. "You look good." She smiled and stood up motioning with her arm to the door. "Ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be."

Alex selected the music on the way. She stopped the car momentarily when the red light appeared and Olivia broke the silence between them. "So, who are these Trevor and Abbie we're gonna party with?" The blonde laughed at the brunette's expression.

"Trevor was my childhood neighbor and he's been my best friend ever since. Abbie went to the same high school he did and they are really good friends. I met Abbie at his house a few years ago and we remained… friends." Alex explained as she drove her car to Trevor's house.

Olivia noticed how Alex had stopped a few seconds before saying that she and Abbie were friends but she didn't mention it. "And Abbie is leaving town to go to college?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, she started studying at NYU but she's from Texas and this year she felt like going back to Dallas so she's gonna study there for the next two semesters at least." Alex glanced at her passenger. "She wants to reconnect with the cowboy inside her, you know."

Olivia laughed lightly and looked outside the glass. The sky was clear and filled with bright stars. She focused her attention on the fresh breeze that came from her window and after a few more minutes they were parking in front of Trevor's house.

Loud music invaded both women's ears as they walked through the house's main door. Alex opened the small closet near to the entrance and hanged her and Olivia's coat. She quickly examined the room looking for her friends and distinguished Trevor between the rest of the people.

Alex moved to where he was with Olivia following behind. She hugged her closest friend and when they separated, she introduced her company. "Trevor, this is Olivia Benson. Olivia, Trevor Langan."

The young man checked Olivia up-and-down. He had spoken with Alex a few hours ago and he it had been really easy to notice the crush his friend had on the new guard. Now, meeting the brunette in person, he could tell you why. Trevor gave a fast look of approval to Alex and turned back to Olivia. "Nice meeting you, Alex talked great about you. You must have truly… impressed her."

The blonde coughed before anyone could say anything else and changed the topic. "Have you seen Abbie?" She asked Trevor.

"She was right here a few moments ago." He turned his head around and saw the Texan woman standing several feet away with a red plastic cup on her right hand. "There." Trevor pointed at where Abbie was and the three of them walked near her.

"Alex! It feels like I haven't seen you in forever!" Abbie hugged the blonde closely a second after she saw her.

"I know. And I can't believe you're already leaving for college!" She said excitedly. "Oh, Abbie, this is Olivia Benson, my new guard. Olivia, this is Abbie." Alex politely introduced both women.

"Wow. I truly haven't seen you in forever, Liv." Abbie sighed as she finally saw the brunette besides Alex. "What happened with the NYPD?"

"It's… a long, long story." Olivia replied. "It's nice to see you again." She gave a somewhat of a smile to Abbie.

"Wait. You two know each other?" Alex asked perplexed.

"Yeah, we slept together a couple times." Abbie said casually and Olivia looked as if she was close to kill her. Who the hell would have answered that? Not that Abbie was lying or anything, but any human being with a small portion a common sense would think that's not something great to say when you've got your new employer next to you.

"Oh, that's… great." Alex said recovering herself from a shock moment. "I need alcohol." She left the conversation and head to where the drinks were.

"What is wrong with you?" Olivia almost yelled to Abbie.

"Hey, calm down, it's not like I didn't slept with Alex too." She took a sip of her cup.

"You slept with her?" Olivia asked and only let Abbie to nod, because a second after she confirmed her announcement, the former police officer turned around and begun her search for Alex.

She found the blonde outside the house, in a terrace where around ten people were enjoying the night's weather. Alex's arms where placed over a tall wooden fence that supported a good part of her total weight. Olivia copied her position standing next to her.

"I'm sorry I left… It was just..." Alex started talking.

"Too awkward." Olivia finished her sentence. "Yeah, I know, Abbie shouldn't have mentioned that…"

Silence took place between them for a few minutes until Alex spoke again. "I slept with her too, you know…"

"Actually, I do know…" Alex looked confused at Olivia. "She kinda brought up the topic when you left." The brunette explained and Alex's blushed.

The blonde drove her eyes to the floor. "Well, this just keep getting even better." She giggled and looked up to Olivia one more time. "I… I'm going back inside. The cool breeze is great but I need something better to clear my mind."

"Please don't let that be too much alcohol. I'm certainly not you nanny but your mother will kick my ass if you come back home drunk." Olivia chuckled and Alex laughed.

The blonde bitted her lips a little. "Don't worry, wouldn't let her ruin that beautiful ass of yours." She smirked and went back inside the house leaving a now blushing Olivia Benson standing by herself in the terrace.

'_Where did you just get the nerve to say that from, Cabot?' _Alex thought smiling as she got near the dancing area.

**There's more party to come so keep alert and review if you don't want Irene Cabot to kick your asses! **


	7. The Party, Part II

**A/N: Hello again to all of you! I want to thank again the awesome feedback you're giving to me! it feels damn good! and i especially wanna thank the people that takes some of their time to write a review! i read and love all of them, thanks for the ficlove, the suggestions, the funny comments and everything, I _really _appreciate it! Now, we've got another chapter here and the party ends with this one but maaaaaybe an 'after party' will come, haven't decide yet. Hope you like it :)**

"You coming?" Alex pulled her head back outside and asked when she didn't felt Olivia following right behind her. The brunette mumbled something that sound as a 'Yeah' and both of them entered to the house.

Alex resumed her previous task and walked straight to were a group of people were dancing. Olivia stood near her, leaning against a wall, and begun to think about her actual situation. If something surprising had happened to Olivia in the last 24 hours - that was Alexandra Cabot.

The brunette hadn't have time to became conscious of everything until that moment. She had applied for a new job a few weeks ago and they had called her several days later to schedule an interview with Chief Cragen. After the interview, they had set her first day on the job to be just some days later, on January 15th.

Olivia would have never thought that that day was going to end with herself being at a high school/college party because she had just become the personal bodyguard of the Mayor's daughter – whom now it seemed to be gay or at least, experimenting. _You never know where life can take you. _Olivia reflected as she unconsciously admired the pale-skinned figure enjoying herself a few feet from her.

Alex was dancing like if here was no tomorrow. She hadn't been on a party for months; her father's image had been behind her all the time, controlling every move she had tried to make. She felt as if she had won some of her liberty again. The weeks before the election had been exhausting. At home, both of her parents were running crazy from one side to the other; at school, everyone was bothering her for being Thomas Cabot's daughter; at street… well, she had barely been outside, because after the second she crossed her house's front door, the opposition was stalking her, trying to catch Alex making a mistake that would cost her Mr. Cabot's voters.

After the first days of campaign, Alex had started getting angry at her father. Even tough, she knew he didn't deserve it; she knew that to him, seeing his daughter suffering as consequence of the career he had chosen was heartbreaking. So after thinking about it, she had stopped being angry at her father, but that didn't imply she wasn't angry. Alex was mad at everything, every little thing bothered her and that had affected how she treated the rest of the world. She unconsciously turned back her irritation and anger to her friends and family, and Alex Cabot could be pretty mean if she wanted to.

After all that her father's career had put her through, she was convinced that had earned some free time with her friends, without pretending to be perfect, without anyone to try to bring her down, without being the Mayor's daughter and just being Alex for a while.

And as the blonde was eagerly dancing, the brunette standing a few feet away was eagerly staring at her. Olivia couldn't help it, and after several times busting herself observing how the teenager moved, she tried to convince herself with the excuse that, after all, it was her job to watch Alex.

The young lady danced with different partners for near half an hour until she felt Trevor grabbing her hand and taking her outside from the dance floor. The pair of friends sat on one of the living room's couches and Alex leaned against the dark haired man, letting him to place his arm around her. She sighed and silently smiled relaxed.

"I guess you're having a good time." Trevor said.

Alex let a laugh out. "I think I've almost forgot how it was to have some fun." She joked.

"Oh, C'mon, I'm sure betting your whole family at any game is lot more fun than this party. Even after you've won them since you were born." Alex laughed again and Trevor grinned, it had been long since he'd seen the blonde so happy. "Have someone ever mentioned that you need to laugh more often?" He gently asked her.

Alex released a sigh and moved out of his embrace. She re-accommodated herself at the edge of the sofa and their conversation turned serious. "Actually, Caleb said that exact same thing earlier today…" The blonde looked back at Trevor. "I'm sorry if I've been kinda of a bitch these past weeks… it's just…"

"I know." He placed his hand on Alex's shoulder and squeezed it softly. "And I accept your apologize and I still love you, you won't get away from me so easily, Cabot, I've been bothering you since you were in diapers and I will until you'll need them again."

"Oh, God, I think suddenly want to be a hundred years old." Both friends laughed without caring about anything else than each other.

Though Alex had Phillip and he was her older brother and she will always adore and love him, Trevor was to her as much of a big brother as Phillip was. Trevor was her mentor, best friend and guide. They had shared everything and both of them had been besides the other one every time it was needed. Their friendship was sacred and it was a huge part of each one of them.

Alex recovered her previous position and even though the loud music and the people talking, she easily fell asleep.

Olivia was right behind the couch and when she saw the blonde had stopped moving, she surround the seat and observed that the blue-eyed young girl was already deeply into the arms of Morpheus.

She softly smiled and ducked so her mouth would be near Trevor's ear. "I'm gonna take her home." She said to him and Trevor responded nodding as Liv took Alex in her arms. Olivia was impressed of how light the blonde actually was. Alex instinctively tugged her arms and hands to her guard's neck and Olivia smiled at the action.

Trevor grabbed Alex's purse and took her car keys out of it. He helped the brunette to lay his friend over the back seat and once she was placed and secured, he pushed the door to close it.

Trevor and Olivia greeted goodbye and the tall woman entered into the car. She started driving to the Cabot residence with the radio volume low and occasionally humming the songs for a while.

**Weather guy says that if you review Olivia might drove you home too!**


	8. After Party

**A/N: hey guys! again, i wanna thank everyone for the ficlove! it's lovely! and & want to reply Stacey: about the Trevor thing, I really really love Trevor (i'm sure it's because of him being PH, but well, that's another story) and since that ep when he goes out to dinner with Lex i've been imagining in my mind their friendship haha. about the liv/co-workers interactions, it's coming girl! you just got to wait a little more! Remember than though with this one there's 8 chap uploaded, still, we're on the same very first day! the dangerous thing, oh BELIEVE ME, it's absolutely coming, but i think it is a little far for now. And Liv is 24 (i think i said it in chap 2) 'cuz i did my math homework and i think that's the real age difference on the show between them. And last but not less, in your previous review you said something about Alex dealing with school, and again, believe me, it's absolutely coming too! But be patient and wait a little longer ! this fanfic is not going anywhere anytime soon! haha, finally, thank you so much for your long reviews! i love them!**

A couple of minutes before they arrive to the Cabot residence, Alex opened her eyes and took a moment or two to recognize where she was. As she indentified the backseat of her car where she was laid, the blonde stretched herself to then sit up.

"Hey." Alex whispered when she observed who her driver was.

"Hey," Olivia slightly looked over her shoulder to see the blue-eyed girl. "You fell asleep at the party so I thought I should take you back home." She explained.

"Thanks." Alex let a yawn go out free. "I…" She started saying looking to the brunette through the mirror. "I wanted to apologize, for what Abbie said, I mean… It was out of place and, I don't know how much you've talked with her but, she's not like that always… She's really great and nice once you get to know her." She apologized.

"It's in the past, don't worry." Olivia gently smiled and kept silence.

Alex yawned one more time and made the question that had been running across her head since 'The Abbie incident'. "So… Where did you meet her?" She asked.

Olivia debated whether to tell the story or not, and after a few seconds of internal arguing, she decided that if it wasn't her from whom Alex heard the story; she would go and ask Abbie about it. "Clubbing. We met around two or three months ago, I hadn't seeing her since at least one month." She told Alex. "We didn't have any kind of deep relationship; we'd just slept together a few times." Olivia said and saw how Alex nodded when she slightly turned around for their eyes to meet. She also noticed the gentle smile Alex had just printed on her mouth. Her face glowed up and it was beautiful to admire. "What about you two?" Olivia bitted her lip after she asked, she didn't want Alex to share any information she didn't want to, but she was dying to know about the relationship between her former lover and the blonde.

"Us… Well, it wasn't the best day of my life…" Alex said staring at the carpeted floor. "It was almost ten months ago… I had just turned sixteen and she was a few weeks away from turning eighteen. We were on a party and we drank and well…. You know." She narrated the story without looking to Olivia. Alex sighed and started to spoke again. "We tried dating after it, but we last less than two weeks, we remained friends and I love that but… I simply wanted to keep myself to the right person, you know? ... I hate that things had go on that way." She sighed one more time. "That was definitely not the way that I planned to lose my virginity but… I don't know, maybe it's true that things happen because for a reason and what occurred was part of my destiny… I don't know." Alex shook her head and she felt Olivia stopping the car briefly and pushing the remote button to open the garage's gate. The brunette parked the car inside of the garage and got out the automobile after pressing the remote button again.

Olivia quickly reached for Alex's door to open it and when the blonde was out she looked in her blue eyes and spoke. "I think that you, Alex, you are way more than when, how or with who you'd lost your virginity. What happens, happens, we cannot change the past. But we can start again every time we want to if we just let ourselves do it. Forgive yourself and let the issue go away. You can re-save yourself for the first person you'll _make love_ to."

Both women stared at each other's eyes for a moment. Alex took a step closer to Olivia and grabbed her hand. "Thank you." She squeezed the olive skin and whispered.

"Anytime." Olivia responded automatically. "I know I'm supposed to be your bodyguard and not your nanny or anything like that, but I want to be there for you, Alex. I don't want you to feel like you cannot talk to me or say something because I'll be behind your back most of the time. I want you to trust me; I need you to do it." She said.

"I trust you." Alex told her without hesitation. "I do." She reassured. "That's why I chose you, I knew from the moment I saw you I could trust you." Alex said and almost regretted, to have a crush on Olivia was one thing; to nearly tell her she had it, was something else.

Olivia felt the awkward tension that had just appeared and tried to lighten the air. "It's guard at first sight then." She giggled and opened the garage door that leaded to the house. "Shall we?"

Alex sighed and leaved the room with Olivia following behind.

They carefully crossed through the different areas but before they could reach their destiny, Alex saw a light on her father's study.

She went to it and opened the door to find the man sitting on his desk chair, writing over some paper. Alex knocked the door softly so he'd acknowledge her presence.

Her father trembled a little at the unexpected noise and looked up to see her daughter and a tall woman standing next to her.

"Hey, Dad." Alex and the brunette entered the room.

"Hey, sweetheart. How was it at Trevor's?" Thomas asked tenderly with his tired eyes.

"Great, it was nice seeing everyone again." She smiled and looked to the woman besides her. "Dad, this is Olivia Benson, she's my guard. Olivia, this is my father Thomas Cabot." Alex introduced them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Mayor, and congratulations for the elections." Olivia approached and shook the older man's hand.

"Thank you, Olivia, it's nice finally meeting you, my wife spoke greatly about you in dinner. And please, call me Thomas, we'll be seeing each other regularly and there's no need of formalities inside this house." He said and Olivia nodded.

"Well, then, if there are no formalities, you'll get out of that shirt and into bed now! It's late and you woke up extremely early on the mornings. Plus, if I recall correctly, you're not a morning person and I don't know how mom handles you when you don't get enough sleeping time!" Alex said firmly but playfully. "So get up and go, go, go!" She laughed.

"Yes boss!" He stood up and after quickly clearing his desk, Thomas walked to the door. "Good luck, Olivia, I wouldn't like being on your shoes… You sure you don't want to guard Amy or Caleb?" He teased and Alex smirked dangerously at him before looking to Olivia.

The tall brunette glanced at Alex and then turned her eyes back to the Mayor. "Positive." She answered trying to suppress her laugh.

Thomas sighed. "Well, it's your choice." He shrugged and smiled again. "Goodnight ladies."

He left the study and walked to the master bedroom while the other two women went straight to Alex's.

When they've reached the blonde's door, Alex whispered to Olivia. "Over there is the guest room, sleep there for tonight if you want. I've already told my mother and she make sure of leaving some clothes for you there, just in case. You know, since you have to stay for the weekend, I thought it'd be easier if you just spent the night here." She smiled to her and Olivia smiled back.

"Thanks. Then if you need anything, I'll be right across the hall." The blue-eyed nodded. "Goodnight, Alex." Olivia turned around and walked inside her temporarily bedroom.

Alex sighed and leant into the wooden door behind her. "Goodnight, Olivia." She whispered lost in her thoughts, just to curse herself briefly after for being 'such a teenager'.

**Well, Thomas wouldn't like to be on Liv's shoes but certainly, I would. **

**Review and maybe you'll get the chance to be on Olivia's shoes for a while!**


	9. Not Just Another Weekend, Saturday

**A/N: WOW! This chapter is the longest one I've written ! Almost 3000 words! YAY! I Hope you like it!**

**By the way, I've never said it before and I don't know if it'll be significant for the story or not, but Olivia's hair is like Mariska's before SVU, you know, her natural color and long and straight... As gorgeous as the word can describe. **

On Saturday, Olivia woke up early; her inner clock was keeping the Police Academy schedule. She stretched her body and glanced to her watch placed over the black night table. _5:12 AM. _

She put her face between both of her palms and yawned. The guard attempted unsuccessfully to regain her dream and after fifteen minutes she gave up. Olivia grabbed the clean clothes she had been provided of the night before and headed to where Alex had told her the bathroom was.

Silently, Liv crossed the hallway without waking up any of the Cabot children. She opened the white door and got inside the room.

Olivia neared the grey sink of marble and, after checking if it was dry, she positioned the garments. The white and light blue patterned tiles decorated the bathroom walls matching towels were located near the bath and sink.

The 24-year-old woman let the water ran and heat while she undressed herself. She got in the shower and felt the hot liquid smashing into her back. Olivia massaged her nape and closed her eyes enjoying the feeling of water running down her body. After a couple of minutes, she left the shower; dried herself and got dressed with the clean outfit she had been supplied.

When she was finished, Olivia looked up to her watch one more time. _Fifteen to six. _She growled at the sight, it was still pretty early to find someone else up… She decided that the best she could do in that situation, was her job. So, Olivia, walked out of the bathroom, took her dirty clothes back to where she had slept and stood up in front of Alex's bedroom door until the blonde would leave the room a few hours later.

Alex heard the noise of her alarm clock activated and woke up. She rubbed her closed eyes and reached to press the turn-off button. Her hand rested over the wooden nightstand as she begun to be truly awake.

Her feet were laid on the floor as she stretched her arms and shoulders to the sky. Rubbing her eyes one more time and with a small yawn, she checked the hour on the clock. _9.01 AM. _Well, it wasn't that early.

Alex stood up and headed to her bathroom. She spent less than twenty minutes in the there and when she was correctly dressed up and showered, she put her cellphone on the back pocket of her jeans and walked out of her bedroom.

Alex placed her hand on the door's knob and opened it, or attempted to do so. The door hit Olivia on her back and surprised the blonde.

"What are you doing standing there?" She exclaimed. "Did you spend the whole night here? You didn't catch any sleep didn't you? Olivia there are guards all over the mansion, this is not necessary." Alex spoke faster than the brunette's ears could hear.

"Alex, I didn't. I got some sleep, I woke up a few hours ago, showered and then I came here. It's my job to be here, please, let me do it how I think is the best way to." Olivia explained herself calmed and softly.

The blonde sighed with her head down and looked back to the other woman. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just didn't expect you to be right behind my door."

Olivia nodded. "It's okay. Let's go, you need to refill your energies, young lady."

"You call me like that again and you're SO fired." Alex joked as she followed Olivia.

The brunette smirked. "Okay, baby love." She said quietly.

"Olivia!" Alex cried and playfully hit the older woman near her shoulder.

Liv turned her head to see where the blonde had punched her. "Oh, that was fierce." She laughed. "I need to teach you how to hit someone."

Alex shook her head. "Oh no, no way. That's what you are here for, isn't it? So I won't need to get karate lessons." Both laughed and headed to the kitchen.

Irene saw the woman arriving and smiled as she admired the smiles on their faces. She was glad Alex had found something positive in this bodyguard experience.

"Good Morning, Ladies." The elder Cabot greeted and Olivia and Alex replied grinning.

Alex rounded the island and neared to kiss her mother's cheek sweetly as she smelled the scent of their breakfast being cooked. "Yesss! I love pancakes!" She said lost in the aroma."Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Alex placed another noisy kiss on Irene's cheek and hugged the woman from behind.

"Someone finally woke up with good humor." The mother noticed and Alex, still enfolding her hips, looked up to Olivia and spoke.

"Well, not every day you go out of your room and find a _very_ handsome guard assuring that nobody with mean deeds gets near you." She smirked.

Irene was a little shocked at her daughter's commentary, but she quickly recomposed and directed her gaze to the brunette before talking. "Olivia, I'm more than glad to hear that you take your job seriously and my daughter is safe with you around. But your services are not required inside this house. There are plenty guards all over the perimeter and abundant others indoors too. I asked you and your co-workers to stay for the weekend so we could get you know you all and truly trust each one of you with our lives, but again, to stand outside Alex's door all night it's not even near to be a need" Irene stated firmly.

"Of course, Mrs. Cabot. It won't happen again." Olivia said and silently cursed herself for messing up on her second day on the job. After she spoke, and out of nothing, Irene laughed and Alex released her.

"Oh, sweetheart!" She couldn't stop the expression of amusement. "Did you think I was mad at you or something? Because your face filled with panic… that was priceless." Olivia looked at the woman confused. "I'm sorry, I didn't want it to sound like you're about to be fired. I was just saying that you don't need to be on duty inside these walls. We want every member of the staff to be like part of the family. Make yourself at home every time you happen to be here, please, if it wasn't for you Alex wouldn't have accepted any guard, so I kinda own you." She explained herself and continued making breakfast. "Alex, dear, go wake up your sister and tell your father and brother to stop playing another heinous and bloody PlayStation game and come here to have breakfast."

"Sure." Alex smiled and did as she was asked.

Around an hour later, everyone had had breakfast together and was waiting at the living room for the rest of the guards to arrive. Amy had ordered to sit on Olivia's lap and the little blonde was enthusiastically chatting with the brunette when the majordomo opened the door and let the three chosen guards in.

Everyone stood up and Thomas was the first to shake the men's hands. "Pleasure to meet you gentlemen; I'm sure you'll do an excellent job. "

Elliot, Odafin and Brian greeted him back and immediately Thomas motioned everyone to head off the room and go to enjoy the enormous garden the mansion provided.

The married couple walked out first with the children following behind. Alex made her way with a slower pace when she noticed Olivia staying in the room with her new coworkers instead of leaving.

"Well, you look just like in college, Benson." Brian Cassidy approached and greeted the woman he had met years ago and hadn't seen since then. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked.

"Nice seeing you too, Cassidy." She smirked and explained. "I'm Alex's guard. "

"Oh, yeah. Cragen told me about you… Olivia, right?" A tall man came near. "Elliot Stabler, I'm Irene's guard."

Benson shook Stabler's hand and looked to the leaving guard. "You must be Caleb's. He said his guard had a cool name and no offense guys, but I don't think yours are what he would describe as 'super weirdly cool'" She joked. Alex giggled as she foolishly stared at the scene, more like the brunette, from her place a few feet away.

"Odafin Tutuola, but call me Fin." He said and shook the woman's hand before resuming his path to the Cabot garden. The other guards followed and Alex unconsciously went as near as Olivia as she could.

Though it was winter, the garden had a heated area, with enough comfortable chairs, garden armchairs and loveseats for everyone. When the group of five arrived, Thomas and Irene where shearing a loveseat, Caleb had made himself comfortable in a garden armchair and Amy had took another, feeling small in the big seat.

As soon as the youngest Cabot saw her guard, she started yelling for his attention. "Prince Briaaaaaan! I've missed you! Please share my seat!" She said her final phrase with the most elegant voice she could found.

Everyone laughed as the young man approached to where the little girl was. Meanwhile, Elliot and Fin sat on two chairs near the door as they saw how Alex went straight to the loveseat opposite to her parents' one. Olivia made her way to sat besides the young woman and as she laid herself on it, she spoke to Amy.

"What about Prince Benson? You are going to forget about me now that you've got Prince Brian?" She said pretending sadness and hurt.

"I will still have tea with you, Prince Benson; I really enjoy your company." Everyone laughed at the way the girl attempted a British accent. "But I'm with Prince Brian right now. I am sure Princess Lexi will be glad to share your throne."

Alex and Olivia blushed, the first one more significantly than the other. Luckily for them, the older woman rapidly thought a way of making the tension disappear.

"Oh, Princess Amy! Are you sure?" Olivia exclaimed dramatically and the small girl giggled and nodded at the same time. Immediately after she did so, the brunette turned around to Alex. "Princess Lexi, would you accept to share my throne and reign this kingdom by my side?" She asked playfully but Olivia soon discovered that her plan of reducing the tension was doing the exact same opposite.

Before Alex could answer, Amy protested. "Waiiit!" The present ones looked at the girl. "You need to give her a ring!" She said.

"Oh, right." Olivia replied and quickly grabbed an unused Kleenex she kept inside her jacket's pocket. She cut the paper handkerchief with her hands and rolled it up, merging the corners and placing the just-made paper ring in front of Alex. She glanced at Amy grinning before resuming her 'proposal'.

"Dear Princess Lexi, would you be my queen?" Olivia asked sweetly.

Alex almost melted but hided it with a soft smile. "I would be honored Prince Benson." Olivia put the ring on the pale finger and lightly kissed the teenager's hand back. Alex felt her face going redder and silently cursed the woman besides her for making the blonde crush on her.

"That's not how it works!" Amy said loudly with her tiny voice. "You gotta kiss her on the lips!" She explained how the scene played on the fairy tales.

Irene easily took charge of the conversation. "Okay, small princess, I think it's been enough role playing games for today." She told her daughter.

"Yeah, I'm a bit tired of watching them play alone, why don't you show me your castle, Princess Amy?" Brian offered to her, trying to help Irene distracting the little girl.

Amy screamed of emotions and with Brian by her hand, she ran inside the house again.

The rest of the group resumed the talking and stayed on the heated zone for around two hours. After it, every Cabot member left to spend some quality time with their own guards and Thomas joined his wife and Elliot.

Alex and Olivia went straight to the younger woman's bedroom, where Alex threw herself on the king size bed and made space so Olivia would sit there too.

The blonde examined her guard. She stared at the brunette for a few minutes until Olivia turned her head and smiled at her. Alex smiled back and asked the first question that came to her mind. "So, liking your new job till far?"

"I think the right word is grateful." Olivia answered and both women's smiles grew. "I applied for the job not expecting it to be the best experience of my life… I'm not gonna lie to you, NYPD is heart and soul and I left because I needed to." The brunette looked right into Alex's eyes. "I'm not one of those people who think that change is always good, but this change? Yeah, it was a good one. I've never felt this welcomed anywhere, I'm protecting good people that deserve to be protected and, let me say, I absolutely adore you and I could be happier of being your guard, Alex. You're amazing and you're gonna do great things someday."

Alex couldn't breathe, move, think or speak. She was motionless. Her whole body had freezed. She had expected Olivia to answer with a 'Yeah' or something like that; instead, the brunette said everything she truly thought, she had opened herself to her.

Somehow, Alex saw –or heard, she couldn't quite distingue which one after her guard's confession– Olivia sighed and paid attention when she started speaking again. "I… I'm sorry. I usually don't open like that to people I met the day before." She said and silence came back to the room.

After a few more moments Alex's turn to talk came and she tried to lighten the air. "So… What you where trying to say was that if I ever want to follow my father's steps, you would vote for me?" She teased.

Olivia laughed and looked back to Alex. "Without hesitating."

"Thanks, Liv. Seriously, it means a lot knowing that you're comfortable with this." Alex told her and Olivia's phone rang. The brunette answered the text message and quickly another one came. "Who is it from?" Alex asked curiously.

"Casey. She's my best friend and she's travelling. She wanted to call but I told her I was with you, now she says she wants to speak with both of us." Olivia explained as she sent a 'no' message to Casey.

"Don't send that!" Alex said when she read the text Olivia was about to send. "Video-call her, I want to see her." She saw the indecision on the brunette's eyes. "C'mon, It's not like we have a list of things to do, and she's travelling, you need to talk to her. Call her."

Olivia did as she was told and Casey quickly answered.

"Thank you for calling your best friend, Benson! She kinda misses you after a month without seeing you!" Casey's voice sounded from the speaker. "Hey there, blonde teenager! Do not pay attention to this conversation, I'm a bad influence."

Alex couldn't help but laugh at Casey's introduction.

"Hi, Case." Olivia simply and happily said.

"So, have you met the other heavies yet?" The redheaded asked.

"Yeah, today. And you're not going to guess who one of them is." Olivia said not so excited.

"What? Who? "

"Cassidy." Olivia told Casey and Alex remounted herself to the conversation between Brian and Olivia a few hours before. He said she looked just like in college, so they must know each other from there.

"Cassidy, like, Brian Cassidy? Like, the Brian Cassidy you slept with and then chased you the following two months? THAT Brian Cassidy?" Casey freaked out and Olivia nodded, internally murdering her best friend. Don't people realize that saying with whom you've slept with is not a great topic when you're with the daughter of your boss?

Alex reaction was between the shock and the laugh, so the opted for the laugh.

"Wow, Benson, did ya sleep with every person I know?" Alex teased and Casey immediately interrogated.

"Wait. Who else do you know that slept with Liv?"

"Abbie." Alex said and Casey's expression was definitely the funniest thing she had ever seen.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH – MY – GOD!" The woman at the other line shook her hands and fingers up and down.

"Yeah, yeah, oh my, oh my. Can we stop talking about my sex life? Thank you." Olivia snapped.

The blonde heard someone calling Casey from behind and she saw how the redheaded turned away to acknowledge that person. "We can, 'cuz I gotta go. I'll call you later. Pleasure Cabot, love you Liv." She hanged off.

"She's damn crazy, isn't she?" Alex said laughing.

"Yeah, but what can I do? She's my best friend." Olivia replied with a huge grin on her face.

**Okay, yeah, I think that is so much more Diane Neal than Casey, but I love Diane's craziness. It's the main reason in my 'Why I Love Diane Neal' list, so I NEEDED to make Casey as lovably crazy as she is. **

**You need to review if you also love Diane's craziness!**


	10. Not Just Another Weekend, Sunday

**A/N: Hello to all my adorable readers! Here it goes another long chapter, not as long as the last one, but it's the longest after that one... so it is long. **

**I'd added many many SVU and L&O characters in this one, so I hope you like it!**

Saturday had gone well after Casey's call. The two young women had spent most of the afternoon together, until Caleb had knock on Alex's door claiming for his big sister's attention.

As the boy locked the blonde in her own room, Olivia had turned her gaze to the kid's guard and she had initiated light talk with him.

One of the first things Fin had told her was how much did Caleb remember him of his own son, Ken. The man had been part of the Mayor's security crew for a little bit over six years. He mentioned how pleased he was when Thomas had assumed the charge, since it had been really hard to deal with Mr. Cabot's predecessor and his bad attitude, temperament and selfishness.

In their conversation, they had share different opinions about contemporary topics, little stuff about their personal lives and experiences at the job. Long hours after, when the night had arrived, Olivia slept peacefully in the same room she had the night before.

Now, it was a few minutes past six and she had just woken up. Olivia took around half an hour to shower and dress up and when she was ready to start the day, she walked silently through the mansion's walls, expecting than at least one of her coworkers would have the same sleeping schedule she had.

The brunette entered to a small lounge located before the garden and saw the figure of a man sitting at the couch.

"Good Morning." She said and Elliot turned around acknowledging her presence.

"Morning." The tall man replied. Olivia took placed besides him and he spoke again. "Early riser?"

"Yeah, Police Academy routine never goes away I guess."

Elliot smiled when he recognized the sensation. "I know the feeling. I was a Marine before working for the Mayor. My inner clock never rings later than five AM."

Olivia slightly nodded and curiously asked. "How long have you worked here?"

Stabler sighed and mentally counted. "I don't know. It seems like forever… maybe, fourteen… fifteen years." He looked to his new coworker. "My father worked for the Mayor too, so basically I've been here since I was born."

"So I guess this is not the first time you're a personal guard…"

Elliot shook his head still smiling at the woman. "No, it's not. I was the guard of the daughter of the Mayor before the last, and of the father of the one before him. All of them were great people."

"Wow" Olivia looked at the man besides her and then at the window in front of them. "That's definitely a _lot_ of experience."

"Don't even mention it, please. You're making me feel old." He joked.

They talked for long hours and minutes, until Irene suddenly walked behind and noticed them. She motioned the two guards to where everyone will meet in a few moments for breakfast.

When the three of them entered, Cassidy was already sat at his place with Amy climbed on his lap. Several chairs apart, Alex was keenly discussing with her father tons of different topics.

At the same moment the blonde acknowledged the presence of her guard, her pink lips curled and a large grin took power of her face. She softly placed her hand over the empty seat besides her. Olivia smiled back at the teenager and sat where she was silently asked to. "Hey." She said with her voice so low that it almost sounded like a whisper.

"Hi." Alex was cursing herself one more time for showing so many of her teenage hormones when the brunette was near her. "Have you heard from Casey?" She asked.

Olivia raised one of her eyebrows and looked at Alex surprised. She knew that she had liked Casey, but the brunette didn't expect that Alex would ask her about her best friend. "Hum, yeah. She texted me around half an hour ago, it said that she thinks you'd look great with rainbow highlights." Neither of them couldn't help but laughing.

After a few seconds, Alex recovered her ability of speaking and made use of it. "Really? Rainbow colored? I've thought about some pink ones… I wouldn't bother those. But with a rainbow partner, I think that's too much."

Just after she spoke, Caleb and Fin entered to the room completing the group and Irene asked for everyone's attention. "I just wanted to remember you kids and to let the rest of you know that today is the last Sunday of the month. Which means that the entire Cabot clan in coming to have lunch and spend the afternoon here. The new uniforms for you are ready and will be provided to you after breakfast." She said to the four guards. "If there are any issues with the sizes, please tell me and they'll be immediately fixed." Irene kindly told them and everyone came back to their previous conversation.

"So every last Sunday of the month you host this private party for your whole family?" Olivia asked Alex who nodded before answering.

"The only three valid excuses for missing it are being either in college, on your honeymoon or dead." She said half serious, half joking. "It's the day of the month that we save exclusively to our relatives. It's really important for my grandparents; they've always been scared that we lost ourselves in the world and stop caring about the people that will always be besides us. That's the main reason why we've been doing this since I was eight." Alex explained with a smile on her face.

She knew that most of the people thought that because of the old money they came from, they were all cold and selfish, but her family was nothing like that. The blonde was proud of being a Cabot and grateful because of the loving and caring parents she had.

Olivia looked how Alex's eyes lighted up when she mentioned her family and thought about her own family. Her grandmother had kicked out her mother for being pregnant, without even caring that that pregnancy had been product of a heinous crime.

She thought about how her mother's older sister, Sonya, had let both of them into her house when she was still inside Serena. Sonya was a rehabilitated alcoholic and she had helped Olivia's mother dealing with her own alcoholism.

Serena and Olivia lived with Sonya until the little girl turned four. After that they've lived on a two-bedroom apartment, not to far from Sonya's. But when Olivia was in her teens, her aunt married and followed her husband to San Francisco without leaving any contact number or address.

The brunette still remembered how she had dried herself from crying so hard when she found the note. Over ten years later, she still waited for an explanation of what had happened that her aunt had flown away without caring about leaving them.

Alex's soft touch drew Olivia back to reality. "Are you okay, Olivia?"

She shook her head and answered the blonde. "Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?"

Alex smiled at her and continued her story.

Just when Irene had almost finished mixing the salads, the door bell rang and Amy hurriedly went to receive her relatives.

"Auntie Lizzie!" They little girl smashed against her aunt's chest and the older woman embraced her niece.

"Look how big you are!" Liz squeezed the small blonde body before her wife took Amy in his arms.

"No Auntie Lois for me?" The redheaded woman felt how her littlest niece kissed her cheek soundly. "That's better." She pulled Amy down and smiled at her. "You must be this little princess' guard." Lois said to the young man standing beside the girl.

"He's Prince Brian." Amy said proudly.

"Prince Brian Cassidy, pleasure to meet you." He introduced himself to the four people that had entered and the blonde lady took his hand and shook it.

"Elizabeth, I'm Thomas' big sister" She smiled kindly to Brian "These are my wife Lois and our children, Michael, Ryan and Dana." The woman pointed to her lover, the eighteen year-old young man and the thirteen-year-old twins.

"Lizzie! Did you take my glasses? I cannot find them!" The group heard how Jack Cabot yelled on his way to the door.

"I told you! You left them on the nightstand!" The unmistakable voice of Jack's wife, Lena, sounded and Amy grinned.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" She ran to hug her grandparents before they made it to the door.

"Hey there sweetie, how've you been?" Lena said tenderly to her granddaughter and closed the door after her husband and middle son entered too.

"Uncle Munch!" Caleb appeared and went straight to meet his 'coolest' uncle.

"Hey, kiddo." John said and made the secret salute he shared with his nephew. Caleb then approached to his cousins and greeted them too.

Thomas and Alex came inside the hall when they heard their family had arrived and after greeting all of them, the man motioned his relatives to go to the dining room and take a seat.

When they entered to the room, Olivia was helping Irene to set the table. Alex's jaw fell as she admired her guard wearing the new uniform. It was so simple and cliché that the blonde wouldn't ever thought she'd be so stunned for seeing someone wearing it.

The black kinda shiny suit marked every single curve Olivia had. Alex had to shake her head to keep her hands away from the thin waist and noticeable breasts hidden by the white man shirt and interceded by a black tie that ended below the suit jacket.

An hour later, everyone had already eaten and was in eager of the dessert. The large table was headed by Thomas, with his father at his left and Irene at his right. Amy sat beside her mother with her guard next to her. Lena placed herself at her husband's left and her daughter and daughter-in-law after her. Fin was beside Cassidy, with Munch, Caleb, Ryan and Dana following him. In front of them and next to Lois, were Michael, Alex, Olivia and Elliot.

"I have to say Irene; I was worried when you told me about the guards. But the four of them are wonderful and the kids seem to get really well with them." Lena whispered to her daughter-in-law.

"I know. I cannot believe it worked out so well. We'd given up with Alex, until a few minutes before we ran out of candidates Olivia entered to the room and she's perfect for the job." Irene replied and drove her gaze to the end of the table, where her oldest daughter was chatting with Michael. A second after, the young blonde turned to Olivia who was talking to her, and just little moments later, Alex couldn't remove the large grin she had on her face. The mother of the four children peacefully sighed as she looked back to Lena. "She was a blessing."

"I have only one question." The tall brunette guard said as she sat on Alex's bed after everyone had left.

"What is it?" The blonde sat besides Olivia and slightly bounced in her bed.

Olivia smiled at the sight of Alex relaxing in her room and exposed her query. "Why the hell do you call your Uncle John 'Munch'?" The younger woman belly-laughed at the question Olivia had asked.

"When they were little, my uncle never ate without making noises. But I mean, like truly loud and annoying noises. My aunt always told him to 'Stop munching and start eating'. He never listened to her until he was twenty-five and his own eating habits begun to bother him. The nickname stayed and I believe it's my aunt's way to remember him to never munch again." Alex narrated the story and felt Olivia's eyes over her.

"I don't know how I didn't think about that." She whispered.

"And you're the one that wants to be a detective." Alex snapped teasing but she regretted the moment she saw Olivia's killing look.

"Oh, Cabot, you're gonna need a new guard." The brunette grinned evilly and her fingers started tickling Alex.

**Woohoo! So, I made the table map if someone didn't get how they were sat :P**

_Thomas_  
><em>Irene - Jack<em>  
><em>Amy - Lena<em>  
><em>Cassidy - Liz<em>  
><em>Fin - Lois<em>  
><em>Munch - Michael<em>  
><em>Caleb - Alex<em>  
><em>Ryan - Olivia<em>  
><em>Dana - Elliot<em>

**And, if someone didn't understand how the family was, I'm leaving that list too. Between the () I'll place the characters last name on L&O/SVU **

_Jack & Lena (McCoy & Petrovsky) - Alex's grandparents._

_Liz & Lois (Donnelly & Preston) - Alex's aunts._

_Michael -18-, Ryan & Dana -13- (Cutter; O'Halloran & Lewis) - Liz/Lois' children and Alex's cousins._

_Munch - Alex's Uncle._

**Reviews don't hurt at all, if you feel something in your skin after you reviewed, don't worry, it's Liv tickling you.**


	11. High School Drama

**A/N: Hey there :) Another long chapter here goes here :) thank you so much for all the lovely ficlove! **

"Mom! Have you seen my math book? The bus is almost here and I cannot find it!"

Sonya Paxton heard her thirteen-year-old daughter, Alicia, talking to her… but she didn't pay attention to anything she'd said. Her hands were softly caressing the old driver license she had just found. The late-forties woman had been looking for some cash she had left on a pocket of one of her jeans. She'd searched in three pairs of denims when she put her hand into of one of the pockets and extracted the license from the inside. _Sonya Benson. _She read the name that used to be her own and her eyes watered. No one had called her by the last name Benson for over ten years, but she hadn't spent a whole day without thinking about it. Without thinking about everything she left behind when she moved out from New York and took her husband's last name.

"Mom! Can you please answer me?" Alicia walked into her mother's bedroom with a high level of irritation and impatience. "Mom, are you okay?" She changed her demeanor when she saw the small pair of tears falling from Sonya's eyes. "What's that?" The young teenager asked as she drove her eyes to what the pale hands were holding tightly.

Sonya sniffed and rubbed her eyes in the attempt of drying them. "It's nothing sweetheart. I'm just a little bit… nostalgic, I guess." She gave a fail of a smile and wiped her tears away one more time. "I think I saw your book over the dining table. You should go check there." Sonya softly answered her daughter's previous question and left her old driver license where she had found it.

* * *

><p>"Mother! Does Olivia really need to go to school with me? Please, I don't care if she's around when I'm with my friends or people I like. But you know I'm not the most popular girl in school, I don't need to get them another reason to make fun of me." Alex begged to her mother.<p>

The blonde was getting inside her car when she heard Irene's voice shouting her name and asking her to wait for her guard. She certainly didn't mind being around the brunette, she actually _loved _being around her. But high school was a dangerous war zone and at that point, she wasn't wining any battles there. Alex went to a private school with a slight majority of girls, or how she would better describe her classmates– mean girls. Alex couldn't remember a day where she hadn't been bullied in some way. She missed the days when she was younger and didn't have to deal with high school bullies.

"Alex, please, you know it's not my decision. You never know who might try to get near you at school. Please, you won't even notice she's there." Irene said softly to her daughter.

_Yeah, like if I could keep my eyes away from her if we're in the same room. _Alex thought. "What if she drives me to school, checks that I'm safely inside the building and picks me up when I'm finished?"

Irene rolled her eyes and sighed. "It's not my call, Alex. Chief Cragen already informed the school about it and they're fine with your guard being inside the classroom, too."

"But moth—"

"I said no, Alexandra. I made my decision and you'll have to live with it." The older woman spoke strictly. "Have I made myself clear?" She drove a killer look to her daughter who reluctantly nodded. "Thank you. Now please, go to the living room and waited for Olivia. She was supposed to be arriving in a few minutes."

Alex did as she was told and sat in one of the lounge's armchair with her arms and legs crossed until the bell rang. She hung her bag on her shoulder and opened the door only to make her way outside and close it again.

"Good morning." Olivia said almost sarcastically when she saw Alex's face.

The blonde lightly puffed and started making a bee line to her car. "Let's go." She grudgingly spoke to her guard and got inside her car.

"It's everything okay?" The brunette asked gently after a few moments on the road.

Firstly, Alex didn't answered and forced her eyes to not look at Olivia, but as she discovered it was senseless, she replied the woman's question. "What do you remember about your last two years of high school?"

"I don't know…" Olivia said confused.

Alex drove her look to her company. "Do you remember the majority of the people being nice to you, or do you remember them laughing at you for unknown and pointless reasons?"

The brunette realized where Alex was heading with her questions and nodded. "The second…"

"So you understand that it's not going to be easy for me to have you following me everywhere at school…"

"I do, but it's my job Alex." Olivia sweetly took the pale free hand of the blonde woman. "And, besides that, I prefer being by your side when your generation's mean girls start their bullying time than leaving you alone." Alex felt a tender squeeze. "I know high school is hard, believe me, I know. I've been there and it wasn't such a long time ago… I don't want to make it any harder for you. I'll keep myself as far from you as I'm allowed. But know that if you need anything, and I mean _anything_, I'm just one foot behind you." A kind smile was given to the Cabot girl but she simply sighed.

"I'm truly grateful you're my guard." She said seriously before grinning and acquiring a much more joyful manner. "Though, I wouldn't mind to have Amy's guard and hear him talking about how hot you were in college…"

Olivia blushed just a little, but quickly appeared half-offended. "Oh, so I'm not hot nowadays?" She smirked and Alex face went red in a matter of seconds, what caused Olivia a hard and long belly-laugh.

A few minutes more in the road and Alex parked her car into her school's parking lot. Olivia got out of the car quickly enough so she'd open the blonde's door.

"If you're gonna be this chivalrous everyday I'm gonna show you off everywhere." The teenager said and smiled to her guard, a smile that vanished as quickly as she saw the Mean Girls Car parking too.

Alex and Olivia observed how the three girls got off the car. "Who are those?" The brunette asked softly when she sensed the tension in the younger woman's body.

"Mean Girls; Rebecca Hendrix, Danielle Beck and Kim Greylek." She pointed to the brunette and pair of blondes before rapidly turning around and heading to the main entrance. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Olivia had to accelerate her pace to match Alex's. The blonde walked straight to her best friend's locker hoping to find her there. Luckily for her, and for Olivia's sake, she accomplished her mission.<p>

"Maura!" Alex called her hazel-eyed friend and the girl turned around. "Thank god I've found you." She hugged the short young woman besides her.

Maura Isles was the one person in the entire school that Alex considered to be one of her best friends. Maura was smart, funny and she had been there for Alex every time she'd need her. Both girls had met in their freshman year when Maura moved out from Boston.

"Al, is everything okay?" The young student asked her friend.

Alex broke the hug and sighed. "Yeah, I just… I don't know why I was such a drama queen." The blonde palmed her forehead for a moment before continuing her phrase. "I blame hormones." She said with a light smile.

"Of course. You know that both of us as teenagers have larger amounts of hormones circulating through our bodies than most adults and that these hormones also have effects on the emotions. High estrogen can lower progesterone and result in anxiety and paranoia. High progesterone can cause tearfulness and, sometimes, depression." Maura explained with the same professionalism she aspired to when she'd become a medical examiner.

"Thanks, I feel so much better now that I know that." Alex replied sarcastically and glanced at her guard who was respectfully standing a little over a foot behind her. "Oh, Maura, I've mentioned the guard thing to you right?" Her friend nodded. "Well, she'll be escorting me at school, too." Alex now turned around and motioned Olivia to get closer. "Maura, this is Olivia Benson. Liv, this is—"

"Maura Isles." The honey brunette firmly extended her hand and Olivia shook her hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Olivia." The tall dark-haired woman smiled and gently replied while Maura stared at her with a strange look, making Olivia feel a little bit awkward. "Did you know that only a 10% of the women around the globe have the type of eyebrows that you have?"

The guard hesitated to answered, but the other teenager quickly yelled her friend's name. "Maura! Please!"

The girl started laughing. "I was just kidding. Alex says she hates my facts, but I know that she actually likes them and is curious about them."

"Yeah, whatever you say Maura…" Alex puffed with a bit of laugh.

"Who's your friend, dweebs?" The three women turned around and saw the group of Junior mean girls talking to them.

"No one that you'd care about, Hendrix." Maura fired back as she soundly closed her locker. She made a movement with her head motioning Alex and Olivia to follow her and leave the mean girls behind them.

Before they could start their walk, the curly haired blonde spoke. "Hey, there's no need to escape from us, girls. And by the way, cute outfit Cabot." Dani Beck told Alex with sarcasm.

The tall brunette took one step forward and placed herself right in front of the group. "My name is Olivia Benson, and I'm the lady's guard. So if I were you, I'd start being nicer to her. Do we understand each other?"

This time, it was their leader, Kim Greylek, who spoke. "Whatever you say. Let's go girls." The sound of Kim's heels begun fading away as Alex turned to Olivia.

"Why did you do that?" She spoke hysterically.

Olivia looked at her confused. "What?"

"You've heard me, Olivia." She said dryly. "I don't need you to threat my classmates. One thing would be if you were moral support _after _the mean girls insulted me; another is completely different one is if you make my school life even more unpleasant! You are here not because I want to; you are here because your boss thinks you should babysit me all day. Well, guess what? You don't have to be my nanny, Olivia. I can perfectly take care of three junior female bullies. I've done it all my life and I can keep doing it. So shut your mouth and don't stand closer than two feet from me while we're here." The blonde, beaming fury, turned around.

"Alex, wait." Olivia grabbed the girl's arm softly but she easily released herself and made her way to the first classroom she needed to be.

"I'll talk to her." Maura amiably said and started following her friend before Olivia's voice stopped her.

"No, I'll do it. I'll give her some space and time so she can cool off and I'll talk with her later." She told the young woman and begun walking behind just a few feet away from Alex.

* * *

><p>She could felt her without making any efforts. She heard every breath, every step. She was furious, but at the same time she awful for being so mean to the brunette. Alex entered to her classroom and sat on her place. Just a couple seconds after, Olivia got inside the same room and stood at the back, silently seeing the beautiful cascade of blonde hair the mayor's daughter possessed.<p>

Alex closed her eyes to prevent the cold tear from falling. She replayed every commentary she'd said to the tall woman. Olivia had been everything but cruel to her, and Alex had thank her back by yelling at her things that weren't what she truly thought.

But how could she tell her what she truly thought? When the truth was that she was falling fast and hard for the older woman. And she hated to admitted, because a crush was understandable. Olivia was absolutely stunning. It wouldn't be human _not _having a crush on her. But besides how beautiful the brunette was, she had the most pure heart she'd ever seen. She'd only spent three days with the woman and Olivia had proved to be loyal, caring and understanding.

Alex opened her eyes and turned her head around. Her watered blue pupils met Olivia's deep brown eyes and before she could say anything, she heard the professor entering and greeting the students. _I'm Sorry. _She mouthed and while her tears were dried by her own fingers, she turned back to the front of the class.

The bell rang and Alex took her stuff and head to the door as fast as she could. Her feet made a straight line to a short corridor that little people used. She slowed and finally quit her pace as she leaned her back over one of the walls. Her eyes filled of tears again as she saw Olivia nearing.

"I'm really sorry. I acted like a kid, you were trying to protect me and I was a bitch to you." Alex said immediately when Olivia was right in front of her.

"I know. It's okay. High school and being your age… is hard." The brunette gently got closer to the blonde.

Alex shook her head. "But that's not an excuse." She calmly stated.

The comment caused Olivia to smile. "And hearing you saying that is the proof that you're closer to becoming an adult than to being just a child. I want you to know that, to my eyes, you're an amazingly mature young woman. I'm not going to treat you as a kid, Alex. Don't treat yourself as if you were still one." She kindly said.

"Thank you." Almost breathlessly, Alex told her.

Olivia opened her arms and pulled her into a deep embrace. Alex hugged as tightly as she could the warm body of her guard. She let herself feel Olivia's arms as thy softly caressed her back. She drowned in the woman's scent.

"I'm here for you Alex. To guard you, to protect you and also to be here in every way you need me to." Olivia whispered against the blonde locks of hair and held the younger but slightly taller woman for the exact amount of time she needed to be held.

**I know, I know. A somewhat of a crossover with Rizzoli & Isles. But no, i'm not planning to add Jane too, it's just that I've always loved the idea of Maura and Alex being friends! And Maura Isles is one of my definitions of the perfect woman, lol. **

**About the chosen ones to be the mean girls... **

** Rebecca: I cannot stand her 70% of the time.**

** Dani: I actually don't hate her, I want her to come back to SVU because I believe it would be an AMAZING story line to build between her and Liv. She's amean girl because I needed a name, and it was between her and Jo Marlowe, and Jo was kinda cooler for me than Dani.**

** Kim: Ugh. Poor lady, she was so awful they called SMarch back... I don't feel sorry for her.**

**I would _really _appreciate some reviews guys! Please tell me if you like the idea of inserting Paxton in the story as Liv's aunt! **

** - And Alicia, is the name of the character that Debra Messing played when she was on SVU, so it'd be her. - **

**Review if you love Maura's facts!**


	12. Crashing, Drinking and Getting Older

**A/N:** Hey there folks! Thanks everyone for the feedback for the last chapter!****

********We're having three different situations on this one, i hope you enjoy though it is******** kinda a short chapter, but I promise that when you're good to mamma, mamma is good to you. So as soon as i get some response for this chap, I'm uploading the next one.****

**-Also!- Stacey, It would be awesome if you could get yourself an account here so I can answer your reviews via private message! Thanks a lot for you long long reviews!**

**Now here it goes ! Hope you like it :)**

He felt himself losing control of his car. He felt how his head begun spinning along with the vehicle. And then, he heard something. _Crash_. The sound of metal smashing against more metal. One car versus the other. Two people that would regret the few moves that led them to that situation for the rest of their lives… if they were lucky enough to continue with their lives.

He felt voices asking him questions, shouting, yelling words that he couldn't understand. He saw a familiar face between all the unknown ones. He attempted to grab the person's hand but failed. After all, at that moment he was even sure that he had moved his own hand in the first place.

His eyes closed as he heard the sound of the ambulance growing.

* * *

><p>It had been determinate that every Thursday after school Olivia wouldn't have to work. So once she'd made sure Alex was inside the safety of her house, the brunette went straight to the clinic where her mother had been since a week ago.<p>

Olivia kindly smiled to the receptionist as she signed the visitors' book. Little minutes later, she was being guided through the hallways and leaded to where Serena was already waiting for her daughter.

When she entered, Olivia saw her mother sitting on a red plastic chair. The older woman looked at her only child and tenderly opened her arms. Her daughter's eyes attempted to wet as she neared to Serena. Olivia softly tugged herself to her mother and they shared a comfortable silence during their embrace. After a few moments, Serena pulled away her daughter and motioned Olivia to sit on the chair next to her. The brunette mutely took the seat and squeezed her mother's hands.

"How are you doing?" Olivia asked almost whispering.

Serena's thumb caressed her daughter's hand back. "It's definitely not as bad as I'd expected." She admitted after a small sigh. "I…" The older woman felt herself losing the control of her eyes as they let a few tears drop. "I wanted to thank you, Olivia." Serena looked into her daughter's dark brown eyes. "You've saved me so many times. You deserve so much more, such a much better mother than me." Her hand softly stroke Liv's cheek. "You've become this amazing young woman. You're so loving and caring. You don't run away from your problems like I've done, you face them, Olivia and I couldn't be more proud of you, sweetheart. You make me want to be a better person and become a better mother to be there for you every time you need me." Serena spoke to Olivia from the heart like she'd done only a very small amount of times before.

"You became the best mother in the entire world when you decided giving birth to me." The brunette said weeping.

"I love you, Olivia." Serena squeezed her daughter's hand tighter.

"I love you too, mom. And I'm proud of you, too. It takes a lot of guts to come here."

Serena smiled to Olivia and both of them remained silent for a little while. "So, how's the new job working out?" She asked.

Olivia sighed and quoted her mother's previous words. "It's definitely not as bad as I'd expected." She said with a sort of a grin.

"Have you met the family or you're just standing outside the house for now?" Serena said as she reached for a glass of water set over the table in front of them.

That moment Olivia realized she hadn't spoke to her mother since she'd entered to the rehab center. Her smile widened and the narration of what had happened begun.

* * *

><p>Alex rolled over her bed for the sixth time in the last ten minutes. The idea of not seeing Olivia up until the next morning was killing her. She had become accustomed to being besides the brunette all day; in fact, she needed her guard's attention. Alex smiled at herself. Two days ago, she had programmed a sudden shopping spree when she realized she had nothing to do that day and Olivia would be leaving her as soon as they'd arrived to her house. At the end of the day, the only thing she had bought was a chewing gum pack, but that didn't matter; she had spent the whole day with the gorgeous woman by her side.<p>

But now, she had nothing to take her mind away from her thoughts about the brunette. Alex had tried everything to not think about Olivia, but it was senseless.

Thankfully for her own sake, Amy entered hurriedly to her room. "Lexi! Lexi!" Her six-year-old sister pulled from her shirt's sleeve. "Mommy and I are going to buy party supplies for my birthday! Would you please please please please please please _please _come with us?" Puppy eyes appeared on the little girl's face and there was no way Alex was going to say no.

"Of course I'll go with you, Amy." She kindly said.

Amy rushed to hug –or more like strangle— her big sister. "Thank you!" She let go Alex and spoke again. "I needed you to go with us. Last year, mommy wanted to make me a Barney themed party. I was turning six, and that's _so _five-year-old!" Amy said with disgust and the taller blonde laughed at the expression before she took the girl in her arms and led to were her mother was waiting for them.

Several minutes later, Irene, Alex, Amy walked into the party supplies store with Elliot and Brian following right behind.

"So what theme do you want this year, Amy?" Alex asked her little sister already knowing the answer.

"Cinderella!" The girl yelled and started commenting her ideas for the party. "I'm gonna wear the same dress and have my hair just like her and I want Prince Brian to dress like Prince Charming!"

Elliot patted over Cassidy's back and wished him good luck with a low whisper. Alex caught the interaction between the two men and after Brian glanced to his coworker, she turned her attention back to her sister. "Why don't you dress all of the guards as princes?" She suggested to the soon-to-be birthday girl already laughing about the idea.

The small eyes of the young kid lit up and immediately looked to Irene. "Oh, mommy, can they dress like princes? Please?"

The older woman sighed and smiled to her daughter. "White suit, some fake medals and golden ties. Nothing more. And only if they agree with it."

This time, Amy's puppy eyes begged to the two men behind her. Stabler and Cassidy silently cursed the little girl for being so adorable before they agreed with a kind smile.

* * *

><p>The man recognized the hospital bed where he was laying. White sheets, white pillow, white walls, white tiled floor. In some way, it was intimidating.<p>

Then, he remembered what had happened. He had been driving back to his house, and then he saw it: another car, running fast and right in front of him. He had panicked and pressed some button—or did he accelerate?—he couldn't remember everything yet. He just knew he had lost control of himself and his car, and now, every part of his anatomy hurt and he was lying on a hospital bed.

He looked up and near the door he saw the same familiar face he had seen before he lost conscious.

The person's eyes were wet and seemed to be in a deep state of sadness. He heard the sound of the person's steps and sighed before asking about his condition, without truly wanting the answers.

**Review if you want to know who the man is!**


	13. Making Things Better

**A/N: THANK YOU! I'm so grateful for the amazing amount of feedback I received between today and yesterday for the last chapter! And here you have your prize! chapter 13 is up with more drama!**

***I know that AO is not being the main focus of the story right now, but I promise that it'll be really really soon!***

**Also! I've recognized some of the names from the reviews to be Latinos, asi que, hispanohablantes soy de Argentina asi que escriban sus reviews en español si prefieren! :)**

**Hope you enjoy this new update!**

He felt how his breath became heavier. He wanted to know what was going to happen with him, but he was also afraid. What if he wasn't going to make it? He couldn't stand thinking about it. There were so many things he regretted… So many stories he would like to erase and write again.

A big pain on his chest was all he could feel at that moment.

"Hey." Emil heard his wife's voice and saw her looking at him. "How are you feeling?" She gently asked.

"Like if I'd been on a car accident." He answered softly, trying to lighten the mood a little. "How bad am I?" Emil said and his wife pulled her eyes down to the floor. "Please, Sonya, I need to know." He pleaded her.

The woman sighed and tried to find the better way to explain the situation to her husband. "You have a few cuts and bruises over the head, a pair of broken ribs… It could have been a lot worse." Sonya gave him a small smile.

He closed his eyes and sighed relieved. He thanked every god and goddess before returning to the conversation. Emil had heard stories about people that after life-threatening situations—just like the one he had experienced—decided to make a 360° change in their lives. When his friends narrated the tales for him, he would normally think they were crazy. But now he understood them. Every mistake, every time he had fail, he had received another opportunity. Now, he had a second chance to do things right. A second chance so things could be better than the way they were before the accident. He had another chance, and he wasn't going to waste it. But he needed to start making things right from the first moment.

"I'm sorry." Emil said taking his wife's hand in his own.

Sonya looked at him confused. "For what?"

"Everything. I've made so many mistakes that I regretted of. But there's one that's been on my mind every day for the past thirteen years." He stopped for a moment and then he kept asking for forgiveness. "When you got pregnant with Alicia, I called my parents and told them the news. They weren't as happy as I made you believe they were." Emil let his head fall down a bit. "My father hired a private detective to sneak into your life. When they discovered that you were a rehabilitated alcoholic they told me that the only way they would economically support us was if you lost contact with your family in New York. The detective had discovered your sister's rape and alcoholism and my parents said they were a bad influence for you and Alicia, and that you wouldn't raise their grandchild with her and Serena's demon child nearby."

He looked up to his wife with his eyes wetter than ever. Sonya was raged with anger, but as she saw Emil's eyes, she knew she would forgive him. She loved him too much to not make the effort of understanding why he did what he'd done.

"I'm so sorry, Sonya. We needed the money, there was no way we could have raised Alicia appropriately without it. I'm sorry I'd never told you the truth before."

The redheaded woman's eyes were already dropping some tears. "Why did you take the fault when it wasn't truly yours?" She simply asked. "Why did you tell me that it was either them or you? The night I made my choice… I hated you so much, Emil." Sonya confessed for the first time in thirteen years and her husband's eyes looked right into hers.

"Then why did you choose me?"

"Because there was no way I would let myself lose you. I love Serena and Olivia; there is no day that I don't think about them, there is no night that I don't regret my choice. But then I feel your arms around me and I know that I did what I thought it was the best I could've done. I love you, Emil, as much as I loved you over a decade ago. I would go anywhere with you." She leaned to kiss him and caressed his cheek afterwards. "I forgive you, and I'm proud of you for having the strength to tell me what truly happened. Better late than never, huh?"

He tiredly smiled at her. Emil still felt terrible for what he had done, and he's shame wasn't going to vanish until after he received Serena's and Olivia's forgiveness. "What do you want to do?"

She sighed. "It's been thirteen years, Emil." Sonya said defeated.

"And I'm sorry. I wish I could take time back. But now you have another choice, you could see them again."

Sonya puffed. "Like if they would like to see me after I left them. Olivia was just a kid when we moved here; she's never going to forgive me." Sadness surrounded her; Emil reached his arm to caress the woman's forearm in the attempt of consoling her.

"She's older now. She grow up, I am sure she'll understand. Both of them will. You need to take the chance." He said. He had the determination to convince her wife and clean up the mess he had set in the Benson family.

* * *

><p>Olivia drove back to her apartment after visiting Serena and after a quick shower; she cuddled against the couch with her laptop. Rapidly she went through her email account checking it and reading the different emails she had received. A few moments later, when she had finished the previous task, she logged into her FaceUnion account.<p>

She rolled the home page down, unsuccessfully looking for something that would call her attention. Olivia started to spoke to herself out loud. "I don't know why people are always so interested in this site, it's dumb and there's never anythi—" She double checked her eyes weren't tricking her. _Casey Novak is now friends with Alex Cabot._

As fast as she could, Olivia grabbed her phone and dialed her best friend's number. The two tones she waited seemed to be endless.

"Hey, Liv, what's up?" Olivia heard Casey's voice at the other line.

"Please tell me you didn't add Alex on FaceUnion and this is just a bad dream." She begged.

"I didn't." Casey sincerely replied.

"Really?" The brunette started checking again what she had read on the computer's screen.

"Yep. I didn't add her. She did." The redheaded laughed.

Olivia palmed the top of her face and rested her back against the couch. "You gotta be kidding me." She said.

"Nope. Hey, one question. The link of the photo album of what party do you prefer I sent to her— the one you were making out with Melinda all night, or the one you were with Sherri? I can't decide! They're both _SO _amazing!"

If Casey would've been there, she would've run from the look on Olivia's face. But gratefully for her, that wasn't the case. "You're the worst best friend in the entire world." The brunette dryly said.

"I know. That's why you miss me so much."

* * *

><p>Sonya sat at the loveseat located in the middle of her living room, motioned her daughter to take the place next to her. The older woman had been at the hospital the entire day and just a few minutes ago, her husband had convinced her of sleeping at their house, but several hours before, he had encouraged her of telling the truth to Alicia. Emil had offered Sonya to wait, so he'd be besides her when she'd narrated the story, but she decided it was something she needed to do on her own.<p>

"What's going on, Mom? You said dad was okay, did his condition aggravate?" The teenager asked concerned.

"No, darling, he's fine. You don't have to worry about him. There's something I need to tell you." She made a pause. "You father and I, we are both so sorry for keeping this apart from you."

Alicia was panicking; she had never seen her mother like this. "Mom, please; just tell me."

"You know that my real surname is Benson, and that I'm from New York, right?" The young girl nodded and she sighed before speaking. "I… My mother… when I was twenty-four, she kicked out of her house someone I really, really loved."

"Who?" Alicia asked before her mother had the chance to explain.

"Her name is Serena." Sonya took out from her pocket a photo and showed it to her daughter. "…She's my sister." She said and pointed to the other girl in the picture. "And that's my niece, Olivia. She was around your age when the photo was taken."

Alicia looked perplexed to her mother. "Are they still alive?" She assumed that since Sonya hadn't mentioned them up until now, a tragedy must have happened.

Sonya nodded. "Yes, I bet they're still in New York." Alicia was angry; she couldn't believe her parents had hidden this family from her. She had an aunt and a cousin she'd never met.

"Do they know I exist?" Her eyes were wet and tears were beginning to appear.

Her mother shook her head. "I doubt so."

And with that the conversation had finished for Alicia. Not only her mother had kept her away from meeting her relatives, but also those relatives didn't even know she existed. Alicia got up angrily and went straight to her room. She closed the door soundly.

_Let's give her some time. _Sonya thought and left to her own bedroom.

* * *

><p>It's was late enough for her to know her mother would be sleeping. She had spent the last few hours surfing the internet, trying to find some information about her aunt and cousin, and she had accomplished her mission. Now, her backpack was ready and she was in possession of her cousin's address and phone. Alicia took all her savings and silently parted from her house to the train station.<p>

It was going to be a long trip to New York.

**So, did you like it/hate it/love it?**

**Review if you want to read howAlicia to meets Olivia soon!**


	14. Leaving San Francisco

**A/N: Well, it was quite a challenge to write this chapter, but here it is. My muse wasn't helping too much, but then suddenly decided to return and this 1746 words is was she had brought to you. I hope you enjoy it and thanks again for the feedback!**

Generally, when Friday arrives, most of the people would be in a good mood because the week had almost ended and the weekend would be so much closer, but certainly, Alex Cabot wasn't like most of the people.

The blonde woke up with a huge grin on her face. Thursday afternoon had gone away and now there were only minutes before she met Olivia again. Alex knew that the brunette had become her newest—and most passionate— addiction, and after an internal argument with herself, she decided to not fight against it.

Alex heard the bell ringing and her feet rapidly flew to answer the door. Her heart bounced at the sight of the gorgeous guard in front of her. Alex carefully rested her body against the frame of the wooden door. "Hey." She spoke softly, dreamily, hopefully and almost breathless.

The beyond simple gesture of the blonde was able to take Olivia's speaking ability away. "Hey." She said back but not without a little of hesitation.

Alex opened her mouth attempting to say something but as she discovered no words came to her, she pulled her jaw up again.

Olivia stopped her eyes from avoiding Alex's owns and locked her brown eyes into the blue ones in front of them. Their gazes connected for a moment and a shy smile escaped from the brunette's face. She quickly passed her hand through the dark hair she possessed and finally restarted talking to the blonde.

"Are you ready to go?" Olivia asked and received no answer. Her eyes narrowed and stared at Alex during several moments, until Olivia spoke again. "Alex, are you there?" She sweetly said but there was still no answer. The guard's right hand moved up and down right in front the blonde's face but she was motionless. "Alex, you 'kay?" Concerned, Olivia took the pale hand of the younger woman.

Alex shivered at the touch. "What?" She drove her eyes back to the deep brown ones and blushed as she realized her daydreaming had being cut.

Olivia smiled and choose not to tease the teenager about her suddenly distraction… for now. "Are you ready to go?" She repeated again. Alex nodded and mumbled a 'yeah' as she made her way to the car.

* * *

><p>"Entonces dime, cuál es tu siguiente asignatura?" Olivia teasingly asked as they left Alex's Spanish class.<p>

The blonde unkindly looked at her guard. "You know, just because you speak Spanish doesn't mean we need to actually use the language after my class." She said. "And, answering to your question, PE is my next class." Alex replied Olivia.

"Do you like it?" The brunette curiously wondered.

_Well, definitely not as much as I now love Spanish but… _"I do quite enjoy it sometimes." She commented. "Especially when my team ends up being the winner." The blonde chuckled.

Olivia slightly laughed before speaking. "Then, let's go! You need to be there on time so you can kick the other team's ass."

They rushed their pace and walked into the locker room. A small amount of girls where already there, changing into their PE clothes. As Olivia passed through the door and saw them, she realized what came next. Alex needed to get her sport clothes on, and she couldn't just leave the room.

The blonde teenager saw the panicked expression Olivia had on her face and thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. "Don't worry." She whispered. "I'm wearing and undershirt and I'm gonna dress in the shower after the class. I'm not leaving you in an awkward situation." The sudden blush on the guard's face proved Alex that she was already in one. Alex corrected herself, seeing Olivia blushing was much cuter than seeing her panic face.

* * *

><p>The brunette stood right beside the gym's entrance. The sweat that fell down the attractive pale skinned woman a few feet from her was hard to notice. Olivia had to increase her concentration to the edge so she could be able to actually guard Alex instead of just drool over her.<p>

Alex accelerated her pace as she received the ball. The blonde moved her hockey stick from one of the ball's side to the other. She made a quick pass to a classmate before just after a few more steps; the other girl passed the ball to her one more time.

Alex was so focused on her move that she didn't notice Dani Beck reaching near her until it was too late. Beck attempted to steal the ball but didn't succeed. Alex made her final move and smashed her stick against the hockey ball. Unluckily for her, the other blonde's foot willingly stepped in the way.

The couch's whistle noisily sounded. "That was enough for today, Cabot." The older woman strictly said. "Get off my class."

"But, Couch, it's not my fault if she can't keep her feet for herself! She placed her foot after I've started my move!" Alex protested.

"I said that was enough, Cabot." The couch told her. "Now go shower and leave my gym or we'll be seeing each other in detention." She spoke dryly and Alex marched to the gymnasium's entrance reluctantly.

Olivia opened the door for her without saying a word. She followed Alex back to the locker room and waited for her to shower.

Little minutes later, they left the room and walked back to Alex's locker. "Are you okay?" Olivia sweetly asked as they reached their target.

Alex didn't give her an answer for a few moments. She angrily opened the small door of the locker and threw the dirty gym clothes inside. "I'm pissed off." She said as she smacked the metal closing and locking it again. "She knows it wasn't my fault, but since my father won the election, the couch has only been looking for stupid reasons to yell at me." Alex drove her look to Olivia and spoke. "Like if I would just go and tell him: 'Hey dad, I need you to quit being the mayor. My PE couch doesn't like you and if you don't do as I say she will make my High School experience a hell'." Both were silent for a second before Alex sighed and continued speaking. "I knew that this would be either one way or the other. The first one is the one I'm experiencing, and the second one is with everyone licking my boots. And truthfully, I prefer this one. At least I still have my honor and dignity. Besides, I know that sooner or later people will find someone else to bother."

Olivia nodded and looked right into the younger woman's eyes. "I'm sorry there's nothing I can do." She sincerely said and gently interlaced her hand with Alex's.

"Don't be." The blonde whispered. "You being here… that's more than enough for me."

The tall brunette smiled and quickly checked her watch. "Well, we still have over thirty minutes until your next class. What would you like to do?"

Alex smirked and took Olivia by the arm. "How about you join me for a coffee?"

* * *

><p>That morning when Sonya woke up, she had found her daughter missing. She went to check on the teenager's bedroom and as she didn't see her school backpack, she thought Alicia had walked to school early, avoiding her.<p>

More uncertain of that she became as the time went on and no news about her daughter she received. When the time of Alicia arriving home came, she waited for ten more minutes and finally called her.

She had fought against the impulse of calling her only daughter the entire day. Sonya knew Alicia needed time and she was trying her best to give it to her.

After two tones, Alicia picked up her cell.

"Honey, where are you? Can we talk about what I told you? Please Alicia I—"

"Mom," Alicia interrupted Sonya. "I'm fine. Don't worry. I just… I need to meet them." The teenager said and her mother instantly spoke.

"I know, sweetie, I know. We can go to New York next week. I promise. I'll call and explain everything to them and we'll meet them but please, come home so we can talk about it." Sonya begged to her child.

The young redheaded sighed and with that, she made her mother to get even more worried. "I'm sorry, mom." She sobbed. "I left the city last night. I'm on my way to New York." Sonya froze at her daughter's confession. "I've got Olivia's number and address. I— I'm so sorry mom. I just wanted to meet them so badly."

Sonya deeply sighed. She rubbed her forehead thinking about what to do. She wanted to yell at Alicia, to tell her everything she had done badly and bring her back home. But Sonya knew that if she did that, her daughter would turn against her, and she couldn't protect her if they reach that place. Besides, Alicia had messed up, but the young girl was only suffering the consequences of her and her husband's decisions. Sonya remained thoughtful for a moment before she hurried and prepared, in a matter of little minutes, enough clothes for staying over a week in New York City.

"I know you're sorry, honey, I know. But I need you to listen to me know and do exactly as I told you, okay?" The girl on the other line murmured okay. "Great, now, what's your next stop?"

* * *

><p>"Emil, please. This is something I need to do on my own." Sonya spoke to her husband on the other line of the phone. "Of course I know she's your daughter too. But this is not about Alicia; this is about a mistake we made with my family: my sister and my niece. Please, stay and get some rest. I've already made contact with Omaha's police and there's gonna be an officer when she arrives, they're going to take here to the station and she'll wait for me. In less than eight hours I'll be with her." Sonya sighed and heard Emil complaining. "She's almost fourteen years old for god's sake! I know she's not that mature yet but she's not a little kid anymore. I cannot stop the train she is in. The moment she arrives she'll be picked up by a police officer and keep safe at a police station. Please, Emil. I need you to stay in San Francisco and let me do this. We'll be in New York by Monday."<p>

**Hmm, What will happened? Review if you want to read more sooner!**

**Reviews are pure motivation.**


	15. Screwing up

**A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you all for the feedback! Besides that I have little to say, just that I will do my best to upload another chapter tomorrow, I wanted to do a longer one but it's pretty late here in Argentina and I wanted to upload this one today. So here it goes!**

Sonya held her sleeping thirteen-year-old daughter closely as the train made its final stop: New York City. Days had quickly passed away and it was already after Monday noon.

The mid-forties woman mentally practiced her speech for the thousandth time before the transport ceased its progress. Now, it was just a matter of time before she met her sister and niece again and, after thirteen years without seeing them, she needed a plan. A good plan.

* * *

><p>Olivia opened the door for her and Alex got inside of the car. She turned it on and starting driving. The brunette looked at her confused when the younger woman didn't make the usual path from school to the Mayor's Mansion.<p>

"Where are we going?" She asked.

Alex smirked at her. "Remember that I asked you to dress as a Prince for Amy's birthday?" Alex waited until Liv nodded. "Well, we're all going to try out the costumes today."

Olivia's jaw fell. "Oh, that's just awesome." She said ironically and the blonde laughed. "I'm glad your mother only let her do the white suits thing."

"She was only nice with you. I am dressing as a princess, and Amy is designing part of my dress." Olivia exploded in laugh and Alex playfully smacked her shoulder. "Keep laughing. I'll make you were a red cape and sit on a throne with my sister's six-year-old friends running around you."

"Oh, you wouldn't." Alex simply remained silent and shrugged. Olivia sighed and spoke again. "Well, whatever ridiculous outfit she creates, I'm sure it will fit you perfectly and considering how beautiful you are, no one will pay attention to the dress."

Both of them blushed significantly. "That's not gonna get you an out-of-costume free pass, Liv." Alex teased.

The two women remained silent a few moments. They entered to the parking and Alex stopped the car but spoke to Olivia before they got out of the vehicle. "Considering how stunning you are, no one will pay attention to me." She said and quickly left the car leaving the brunette speechless.

They walked through the main door and instantly saw Amy running toward them. As she hugged her little sister, Alex caught her mother motioning her to get near.

"Alex, thank god you came fast. We need to try your dress now." Irene pulled her daughter closer and whispered. "I convinced your sister of making some changes on the design, but we need to be quick and you'll have to say what you want to cut off." Alex nodded with a grin and the four of them went to the dressing area.

Now that the female guard had arrived, Irene divided the group by gender as she sent Elliot and Cassidy to another room where Caleb and Fin were already trying on their outfits. Alex got inside the fitting room and put the dress on. A few minutes later she came out and showed the dress to Amy, Irene and Olivia.

Alex's little sister had designed a dress with different orange tones; it had a rounded sweet-heart neck and small puff sleeves. A strong, orange, satin ribbon defined Alex's tiny waist and big –enormous—, nearly fluorescent, bows 'adorned' the ball gown skirt.

"Oh, Lexi, you look so pretty!" Amy said excited.

Alex sighed. "It's not that bad." She looked the reflection on the mirror. "Can we make the bows disappear?" She asked to Amy.

"But the bows are my favorite part!" The little girl pouted.

"Well, what if we take out the bows on the skirt and add a big one on the back, over the ribbon? We can also add other two ribbon strings coming out of the bow. What do you think?" Alex proposed as kindly as she could and it seemed to her that it had worked when her sister started clapping and saying numerous 'yes'.

"Then, if we've got a deal, I'm going to inform the dressmaker. Want to come with me Amy? We can go and check how the boys are doing." Irene said and with the nod she received from her daughter she walked to the door.

Once they had left the room, Alex drove her look to Olivia. The brunette had been leaning on a wall, silently staring at her since she'd come out of the fitting room. "So what do you think?" Alex asked as she made a 360° turn, letting the skirt fly. Olivia smiled and took a few steps towards the blonde.

"I think that I was right. You're beautiful." She stated.

Alex blushed and stared at the floor for a moment. Then, she cling her eyes into Olivia's and spoke. "And what about the dress?" She asked with a shy smile on her face and made herself on step closer to the brunette.

"Oh, it's terrifying." Olivia quickly answered. "At least the bows are." She glanced at them with her eyes wide opened. "But, as I said." Olivia looked back to Alex. "No one would have notice how horrible they are if this gorgeous woman is the one who wears them." She brought her body only inches apart from Alex and played with a lock of the blonde hair.

Neither of them could stop the emotions running through their bodies. Bring blue eyes were stuck into deep brown ones and a pale hand was placed behind an olive neck, gently stroking the dark hair. Alex's hand started softly pressing on Olivia's head, making her get closer. Both breathings became deeper.

Their noses were half an inch away when they heard Irene's voice. Olivia pulled away instantly and hurriedly took her costume before entering to the fitting room. Just a second later, Amy and her mother walked through the door.

Alex stood in the middle of the room with her gaze locked where Olivia's eyes had been just moments ago. "Where's Olivia?" Alex heard her mother asking and pointed the curtain the hid the brunette. Amy sat down on a couch and Irene neared to her teenage daughter. "Is everything okay?" She wondered concerned.

Alex's eyes finally moved and looked at her mother's. "Yeah, sorry." She walked a bee line to the nearest wall and leaned against it.

Seconds later, Olivia appeared. She was wearing a white suit with golden details that fitted her perfectly and a few metals at her heart's high. "Oh, darling, it looks amazing on you." Irene said. "What do you think Alex?" She turned to her daughter.

The teenager's gaze met Olivia's and stared at her silently for a moment. "She does look amazing." Alex wished that she would have been alone with the brunette, so she could have corrected herself and mention how amazing Olivia actually _was, _besides the costume.

* * *

><p>The trip back to the Cabot residence wasn't what Olivia and Alex had hoped. After they left the dressmaker's shop, Amy had asked her big sister if she could go back to the house with them. So instead of being just the two of them, the journey also included Amy and Cassidy.<p>

There was a part of Alex that was desperate for being alone with Olivia and wanted to talk and tell her everything she was feeling as soon as possible. The other part, wanted to be alone, to stop thinking and to forget. But what that part of her didn't want, was to realize how utopian and impossible their relationship truly was.

Amy and Cassidy were already inside of the mansion when Alex decided to which part pay attention to. She held the door's knob and instead of entering to her house, she turned to Olivia. "I will spend the rest of my day indoors, so your services are not longer required until tomorrow, Miss Benson." Alex had almost completely opened the door again when Olivia grabbed her wrist.

"Alex, wait. We need to talk, whether we like it or not." She said.

"Nothing happened, Olivia. There's nothing to talk about. Am I making myself clear?" Alex replied strictly and Olivia nodded, letting her go.

The blonde entered to the mansion and closed the door behind. She went straight to her bedroom and locked herself in there. Alex threw her body over the bed and felt the tears falling from her eyes. The hurt that just a few moments ago she had seen in Olivia's eyes had destroyed every little sign of strength in her.

* * *

><p>"I screwed up Casey. I screwed it up so hard!" Olivia said to the person in the other line."Why did I let myself do that? Why didn't I control my actions? Why do I have to ruin everything?"<p>

"Liv, it's—" Casey started speaking but she was instantly interrupted by Olivia.

"You know what the worst of all is?" Olivia asked rhetorically. "The thing that bothers and hurts me the most is that I didn't get to kiss her." She unsuccessfully tried to dry her eyes. Olivia threw her body against her couch and spoke again. "She's amazing, Case. I've only known her for ten days and I can't get my mind away from her. Every time I start thinking about her I try to stop it because she's just a kid but I can't."

"She's not a kid, Liv." Casey said and silenced Olivia. "She may only be sixteen, but only by talking for three minutes with her you can tell she's as mature as any of us are." The redheaded on the other line stated. "And with only seeing you two interact you can tell she's got a crush on you as huge as the one you have on her."

"But that won't help us either." Olivia sighed and curled up on her couch. "Look at me; I'm already saying _us _as if we were married when I know _us _is something that will never work out. I'm so screwed up." She rubbed her forehead and there was silence for a few moments. "Hey, Case?"

"Yes, Liv?"

"I'm gonna make some tea and try to sleep. Thanks for listening."

"Whenever you need me, I'm just a phone call away." Casey softly said.

Olivia sighed. "I know. Thanks again."

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Olivia was woken up by her apartment's bell. Before she had fallen asleep, thankfully, she had forgotten what had happened between Alex and her, and her mind had slept peacefully.<p>

She stood up in front of the wooden door and looked through the peephole. Her entire body shivered at the sight of who were the two people at the other side. Olivia opened the door and spoke.

"Sonya." She said almost speechless. Her eyes filled from tears for the nearly the fourth time that day. "Wh— What are you doing here?" She asked before realizing they were still outside of her apartment. "Come in, both of you, please." Olivia let her aunt and the girl that had come with her in.

**Cliffhangers are a bitch, I know. **

**I will do my best to write the next chapter tomorrow, but feedback & _reviews _always help, so...**

**Review if you want chapter 16 to be up tomorrow!**


	16. It's Complicated

**A/N: Woohoo guys! Two chapters in two days! THANK YOU to all of you who keep reading this fic, I hit the 100 reviews with the last chapter (Congratulations to Athena's Heart for being the one hundredth review! haha) and it's something I didn't expect at all when I start working on this story. So that's it for now, thanks for all the feedback!**

**Sort of short chapter today, but I hope that you all like it :)**

Olivia widely opened the door and led her visitors to the center of the living room where a couch was placed. She silently stared at her aunt and the young girl, the last one was already the first to speak.

"I'm Alicia." She said just before she took the free seat next to her mother.

"Olivia." The tall brunette introduced herself offering a smile to the child. "I'm Sonya's niece." Her voice turned a little bit more serious when the mentioned the fact.

"I know." Alicia quickly told her. "I'm her—" She felt her mother's hand being sweetly placed over her thigh and stop talking.

"Alicia is my daughter, Liv." Sonya confessed in a whisper and Olivia's eyes easily watered after she heard the phrase.

Instinctively, Olivia caught both of her relatives between her arms and the three Benson ladies shared a needed embrace. The two younger ones had their eyes filled with numerous tears. They hugged each other closely for endless minutes until Sonya pulled apart.

"We need to talk, sweetly. There are so many things I want to explain to you." She said caressing her niece's cheek.

Olivia shook her head. "Later." She took Sonya's hand into hers. "Now I just want to enjoy that you are here. Both of you." She said looking to Alicia.

The older woman smiled and stood up. "Then, why don't I go and buy some coffee while you two get to know each other?" Alicia and Olivia nodded. The brunette searched inside her pockets and when she found the keys, she handed them to her aunt "I'll be right back." Sonya grabbed her purse and little seconds later she had disappeared from the younger women's sight.

"I'm so glad I'm here." Alicia said the moment her mother left. "My other cousins… they're, well, pretty annoying."

Olivia laughed. "I'm glad that I have a cousin now." She smiled to the younger girl. "So, tell me a little about you."

* * *

><p>Olivia sighed and slowly blinked as her aunt finished telling her story. "I'm sorry, Olivia. I really am. I love you and your mother with all my heart. But I just couldn't lose Emil, I love him beyond everything. You're still young and I know that you may don't get it now, but someday you'll find that person that will make you the happiest woman in the world and you will understand what I'm feeling and why I've done what I've done."<p>

Olivia felt herself crying one more time, but she couldn't recognize if it was because of her aunt's sensitive words, or if it was because of the young blonde that plagued her dreams.

In the middle of her inner argument, Olivia stood up and, after telling Sonya she would be right back, the brunette walked to her bedroom and locked herself in there.

She was thrilled for having her family back with her, but it didn't matter how happy she might've been, she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier with Alex. Olivia needed to know if the blonde was hurting, if she was thinking about her, if she wanted to fire Olivia and never see her again.

As soon as she closed the door, Olivia smashed her back against it. She took her phone out of her jacket's pocket and stared at it for eternal moments. Her eyes were glued to the screen where Alex's number was written. She couldn't have said how long she remained on the same position until her twenty seconds of courage appeared.

Olivia pressed a couple of keys and texted Alex. '_Are we okay?' _ Was all the content of the message, and that was enough for her to know what at that moment she needed to.

Several minutes had gone away and there still weren't any signs of Alex reply. Olivia was nearly freaking out. But thankfully, seconds later she felt her phone ringing. The brunette could feel how her fingers trembled as she unlocked the phone. _'Don't worry, Liv. Everything's okay. See you tomorrow?" _

Olivia's smile lightened up as she read the words Alex had typed down. Immediately after she finished reading the message, Olivia text Alex back. '_Always'. _Still grinning, Olivia left her bedroom and returned to where she had left her aunt alone.

"I think I should correct myself." Sonya said when she saw the grin her niece owned. "I can tell by the look on your face that there is no way you're too young for true love." She told Olivia with a sweet smile. "Who is this special someone?"

Olivia looked at Sonya and sighed. "It's… more than just a little bit complicated." The brunette felt the kind caress her aunt made over her tight.

"If you two are truly meant for each other, you will work it out, sweetheart. I'm sure of that."

Olivia threw a quick smile to Sonya. Then, she sighed and rapidly changed the topic of the conversation. "We better wake Alicia up if you still wanna get to see my mom today."

* * *

><p>Alex held her cellphone closely. How could she attempt to stop thinking about Olivia when the woman was so wonderful? It wasn't fair. This time, she had tried to close herself, to not let her in. But the brunette had this amazingly huge power and influence over her that Alex couldn't ignore.<p>

She looked at her phone and dialed a number she knew by heart.

"Hey, Alex." She heard Trevor's voice on the other line.

"Hey." Alex replied with a hopeful sighed.

Trevor arched his eyebrow and wondered what had happened to his best friend. "What's going on?" He asked her.

"I think I might be falling for someone." She replied almost sincerely.

"You think, huh?" He said and kept silence for a second, knowing that Alex was nodding through he couldn't see her. "I think you've already fallen, and by how you greeted me, you did it hard." Trevor laughed and Alex softly joined him.

"I hate when you're right."

"Not this time. We both know you love being in love." He stated.

Alex sighed. "This time is different. I've never felt like this before."

"Wait until you have sex without being drunk." Trevor joked and Alex instantaneously protested.

"Trevor! I'm serious here!"

His laugh started vanishing and when it had completely disappeared, he spoke. "I know. But it's just that I can't keep myself from bothering you. I knew you were going to fell for her."

"How do you know who she is?" Alex asked already knowing the answer.

"C'mon. You've been drooling over Olivia since you've met her." He told his best friend. "And, just in case you've wondered, I approve the relationship." Trevor chuckled.

Alex softly laughed. "Oh, that's so thoughtful of you. Thank you, Mr. Langan. Now, please, use your magic powers to convince her and my parents too and I will owe you for an eternity."

* * *

><p>Next morning, Alex opened her house's main door and both women shared shy smiles. Without saying a word, they entered to the car and the blonde started driving. A few minutes of silence passed until the older one was the first to talk.<p>

"So, we're okay, right?" Olivia looked at Alex.

The younger woman lovingly smiled at her guard. "We are. I'm sorry…" Her eyes avoided Olivia's. "I shouldn't have kicked you out yesterday. I just… I needed—"

"It's okay." Olivia interrupted her. "I think I needed too the space to… meditate."

Both of them wanted to continue the conversation, to get the chance of truly talk about what had happened and what was happening between them. But neither Alex nor Olivia had the courage to do it.

**What do you think about the chapter? Review and let me know!**


	17. Family Visits

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the long waiting! I've been really busy the past few days and it'd been impossible to sit down and write! The good thing, is that I have the next chapter almost planned so it'll write and upload it as soon as possible.**

**Thank you for all the feedback and for patiently waiting this update! Hope you all like it!**

On that week's Thursday, Alex founded herself walking in circles with her phone trapped inside her hands. She had been in this situation for over an hour and wasn't improving as the minutes passed.

Alex's initial objective was simply to call Olivia. It wasn't that hard, until she realized she had never call the brunette, only a few texts had come and go between them. That was the moment when she freaked out, what reason would she give her to explain the origin of the call? It was Olivia day off; she shouldn't be calling, talking or breathing next to her.

But that wasn't fair. Alex needed to talk with Olivia, to submerge into her deep brown eyes while the guard neared with her characteristic walk.

So after debating with herself, the blonde pressed the green button and call the brunette. Not to talk with her, but to ask her if they could meet.

Alex heard the other phone being picked up and quickly spoke. "Hi, Liv." She said and unconsciously leant her body against her bedroom's wall.

Olivia belly-laughed along with her younger cousin. She had insisted that both Sonya and Alicia stayed at her apartment and that was definitely one of the things Olivia would never regret.

During the past few days, she had met her relatives much better and besides all the jokes, they had seriously talked about every topic they could. Alicia had even mentioned to Olivia how much she would love to live in New York after she graduated, and the brunette had instantly offered her place to stay as long as she wished and needed to.

Though Alicia was eleven years younger than Olivia, they were able to laughed, talk and spend good times together as if they had met other forever. Olivia was deeply grateful that her family was back again with her.

Suddenly, she heard her phone and stood up to reach it. Olivia then sat again on the couch and without checking who was calling she picked up. "Hi, Liv." The brunette heard Alex's nearly angelical, soft voice greeting her and her jaw fell.

"Who is it?" Alicia whispered curiously. Olivia shook her head to the redheaded and answered Alex.

"Hey, are you okay? I wasn't expecting that you call me; not that I'm not glad of it, because I am, I truly –" Alex noticed how Olivia accelerated her speaking pace and interrupted with a smile on her face.

"I'm fine. It's just… Well, I think I'm not used to being away from you. I miss you." She sincerely said and provoked Olivia to grin.

"I miss you, too." The guard told Alex. She saw Alicia's eyebrow curving, but didn't pay many attention to it. "I guess we've both turned a little codependent, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess we have." Alex paused a second before she acquired the guts to ask the question the wanted to. "Hey, I was wondering if you'd like if to meet today. You know, as… friends?" Both women internally cursed at the last word.

Olivia disappointedly sighed. There was nothing than she would love more than meeting the blonde, but her aunt and cousin were with her, and this wasn't something that happened every day."I'm sorry, Alex. I…" She sighed one more time. "My aunt and cousin came from San Francisco on Monday and they're leaving tomorrow. I'm so, so sorry. I would truly love to spend some time with you. But I'll see you today and we'll reschedule?"

"Oh, it's okay… We'll reschedule then. See ya tomorrow, Liv." Alex unsuccessfully tried to sound as if she didn't care.

Olivia closed her phone and looked back to Alicia. "Why the hell did you just say no?" The thirteen-year-old girl said.

"You're here. I want to spend time with you. It's not like we live a block apart."

"I know, but it's pretty clear that you also want to spend time with that Alex guy too."

Olivia sighed. "It's 'that Alex gal' actually." She explained to her cousin and the younger girl froze.

"Wait. Alex, like, Alexandra? Like the Alexandra you work for? Like the New York Mayor's sixteen-year-old daughter, Alexandra?" Olivia nodded with her eyes stuck on the floor. "Oh my god! This is so romantic!" Alicia's fingers started shaking up and down and Olivia slightly giggled at the girl's reaction. _Tell that to her parents. _Olivia thought but didn't say. "So what you're secretly dating?" Alicia asked excited.

The brunette shook her head. "Not even close to that." She sighed and looked to her cousin. "Nothing has happened."

"Yet." Alicia added with a smirk.

Alex angrily threw the cellphone against her bed. She felt how tears started falling down her eyes. How could she have been so stupid? Of course Olivia had better things to do than spending her afternoon with the sixteen-year-old kid she works for. "Love sucks." Alex whispered as she dried her tears.

* * *

><p>Next morning, Olivia apologized again as soon as she saw the blonde. "Alex, about yesterday, I'm so sorry. I really wanted to meet you, but—"<p>

"I said it was okay, Liv." She interrupted her guard and started walking to her car.

Olivia sighed. "I know but generally, when people say that, they don't mean it." Olivia reached Alex's door and opened it for her.

Though Olivia did the same action every morning, Alex always blushed a bit and kept finding it extremely chivalrous. "Well, but I mean it now." She said looking right into Olivia's eyes before she got herself inside the car and wait for Olivia to do the same.

Alex felt her hand being squeezed by Olivia's as soon as the brunette sat down on her seat and smiled to her. "I…" The blonde started saying but the words didn't appear.

Olivia saw how speechless Alex was and tried to take charge of the conversation. "I…" But she obtained the same results.

Alex bitted her lip. Her thumb caressed Olivia's hand and the brunette then brought Alex's pale skinned hand to her before planting a chaste kiss over it. "Liv, I—" This time, Alex was cut off by her younger brother's voice.

"Alex, wait!" Caleb yelled and his sister rolled the car's window down after letting Olivia's hand go. "Fin just called and told me that Cragen needs him to talk about something so he'll be running late. Can you drop me at school? A guard will be waiting for me there." The kid explained.

"Sure. Get in the car and lock your belt." She said kindly and rolled the window up again.

"Do you know about what are they talking about?" Caleb asked Olivia once he was in the car.

The brunette shook her head. "I have no idea." She smirked to the young boy. "You didn't get into any trouble didn't you?"

"That question offends me, Olivia. I'm a saint." He said.

"Yeah, sure." Alex snapped and heard her guard's phone ringing.

"It's Cragen." Olivia said before answering the call. "Chief." She spoke to Donald. "I'll be there as soon as possible." She hung up the phone. "It's just about Amy's birthday. He wants to let us know how the security will work." Olivia turned to Caleb. "Seems like you didn't commit any sins… yet."

* * *

><p>Another guard was waiting for Alex too as they arrived to her high school. Olivia took the guard's car and drove straight to Cragen's office.<p>

"Come in, Benson." The man said when she knocked the door. Olivia entered to the room and stood next to her coworkers. "As all of you know, the younger daughter's birthday will be in a week. It will take place in one of the mansion's rooms and almost the entire security staff will be there. What I want you to do is to never –and I'm saying, never— be more than two feet apart from your assigned family member. I don't want you to go _anywhere _without them. You'll all have wires and we will be in constant communication. Anything unusual movement you detect, you report it. I don't care if you think it's a squirrel. You'll tell me about it. A little girl is turning seven and we don't want any perturbations."

* * *

><p>"Did you pick up the costumes?" One man said to the other.<p>

"Yeah, those guards must be damn stupid to let a six-year-old dress them as princes."

"Then it will be easier for us to accomplish our objective." He grinned.

***CHUNG CHUNG***

**Review and tell me what you think about this chapter and the entire fic! **


	18. A not so Happy Birthday

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is a very quick update so I'm only gonna thank you for all the feedback as always! Hope you enjoy :)**

Later that Friday, Olivia reclined herself against her living room's couch. She had just dropped Sonya and Alicia off at the airport and she couldn't stop thinking about what her cousin had whispered to her before getting into the plane. "_Please, do something about your feelings. I don't want to hear you mumbling her name while your sleep ever again. And, I wouldn't mind if you get me Caleb's number." _

Her cousin was right, she needed to do something. But she simply couldn't. Too many people were involved, and there was too much at stake. She couldn't lose her job, she couldn't. If she did, her mother would have to leave rehab, and that wasn't an option. But if things remained as they were, she would end up crazy. Her mind ran from one place to another and in every route, every path and every stop Alex was there.

She got herself deeper into the couch. For Olivia Benson, things were definitely not so simply.

During the following week, Alex attempted to continue the flirtatious line she had started developing with Olivia. But this time, the brunette hadn't followed her. The brown-eyed woman had discarded almost all the funny commentaries the blonde said to her.

Alex was furious and worried at the same time. She needed to talk with Olivia. Alex needed to tell her everything. But most of all, she wanted to hear what Olivia had to say about it.

It was the first Saturday of February and time for Amy's party. The night before, Irene had told her children to not get away from their guards during the celebration, under any circumstance. That was an opportunity Alex wasn't going to squander.

She put her costume on and left her room. She was decided to remain at the living until Olivia showed up, but something else caught her attention.

"Now, that's a cool outfit" Alex couldn't hold her laugh anymore as she saw her youngest brother dressed up as a joker.

Caleb glared at her. "Shut up. The only thing this costume proves is that I'm a much better relative than you. Amy must be grateful for having me." He proudly said.

But the blonde completely ignored every word. She was too busy playing with Caleb's jester hat and the tiny bells that hung from it. "These are awesome." Alex commented with a huge grin on her face as she shook another bell.

Caleb pulled his hat away. "Okay, that's enough." He laughed when Alex pouted and quickly changed the topic. "Hey, do you know when is Olivia arriving? I need to ask her about something."

Alex's eyebrow curved. "What could you need to ask to my guard?" She wondered aloud.

"It's just someone I saw on her FaceUnion profile." He said trying to sound cool.

Alex instinctively hugged him. "Aw, my little brother has a crush!" She let Caleb go. "Who is it?" The blonde demanded to know.

"Her last name is Benson, too, so she must be her sister or something."

"She didn't mention any brothers or sisters; I think she's her cousin." Alex said thoughtful.

"Al, just because she didn't mention them to you, doesn't mean she doesn't have them." Caleb stated. "I don't think she tells you everything about her life. And even if she'd wanted to, you never shut up so…" He joked and Alex looked at him fiercely but didn't comment about it.

"I was saying that because she told me her aunt and cousin were in the city last week. They live in San Francisco." Alex explained and the pair of siblings talked for around half an hour until Fin arrived and Caleb ran to show him some video game Alex didn't recognize.

The blonde walked to the studio and laid herself on a couch with a book between her hands. She lost herself in the text's paragraphs for endless minutes, until she felt a hand over her shoulder and shivered. Alex couldn't be happier of seeing Olivia's face when she turned around.

"Hi there, princess." The brunette greeted her looking at the blonde's costume and instantly, Alex moved and made enough space so Olivia could sit beside her.

She left the book she had been reading and after checking that the door was closed, she looked right into Olivia's eyes. "Liv, we need to talk. Or at least, I need to tell you something." Alex courageously took the olive-skinned hand and interlaced it with her white and pale one. "Something I cannot handle anymore."

Olivia's eyes attempted to drop tears, but she closed and forbade them the action. "Alex…" She whispered and shook her head. "Please, don't say anything." Olivia held the younger woman's hand closer. "Please." She begged one last time.

"But, Liv, I—" Alex started speaking but stopped as soon as she felt Olivia's touch on her cheek.

"I know." The brunette removed one of the dropped tears from Alex's face. "I know, sweetie, I know." She whispered feeling her own eyes crying. "But I have to stop it, because that's the right thing to do. I'm sorry, Alex. I'm really, really sorry."

Alex pulled away from Olivia and stood up with anger. "So that's it? You just resign? You're not gonna fight for it?" '_You're not gonna fight for me?' _Alex wanted to add, but she knew that would be too out of the line.

The only thing she would risk if something happened between them would be some of her liberty until the day she graduated. But Olivia would be risking her job, her police career, she could even go to prison for it!

And that was what they were talking about… an 'it'; because neither of them was going to admit the possibility of a relationship, of a happy ending. At that point, that was only utopian and hurtful.

"Don't make this harder, Alex." Olivia's wet eyes pleaded her. The brunette got up from the sofa and reached for the blonde's hand again. "I'll be wearing a wire today; it will be working during the entire party. We can't say a word about this."

Alex feebly nodded and with her look dropped to the floor, she played with Olivia's fingers for a few moments before speaking. "Will you hold me?" She softly asked.

"Always." Olivia embraced the blonde with her arms and they remained in the situation for extensive minutes, Alex hugging her tightly and Olivia gently stroking the long locks of hair.

The guests had arrived and while adults were eagerly chatting, little kids found themselves running from one place to another. Amy's birthday was a huge success.

With transparent wires and white prince uniforms, every guard was divided and located in different parts of the large room. All one of them had eyes and ears wide opened. All of them, except of a pair of two.

"How much more do we have to wait until we act?" Kurt Moss asked to his partner via their private wires.

"Only ten minutes left until they'll sing happy birthday, you know the ropes from there Moss, don't screw it." Nick Ganzner said threatening.

A few feet away from them, Olivia was standing next to Alex. Neither of them had spoken a word to the other since Olivia's wire had been turned on.

Suddenly, Amy came nearly running toward the women and as she smiled, Alex took her little sister in her arms. Cassidy stood right in front of her.

"Lexi I want you to blow the candles with me!" Amy requested.

"I would be honored, sweetie."

The two Cabot girls and their guards got closer to where the birthday cake was placed and Irene asked for everyone's attention.

They turned the lights off and all the presents begun singing the happy birthday song. Alex ducked so she would be at Amy's height and helped her little sister to blow the pink candles.

Olivia glanced over the sea of barely illuminated faces. The song had nearly ended when she saw it. "GUN!" Olivia loudly screamed and quickly hid both Amy and Alex behind her.

Only a second later she felt the collision between the bullet and her body.

**And there goes the drama! haha! What did you think about the chapter? Tell me!**

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	19. I Would Die For You

**A/N: Wow guys! If I would have known that you'd review so many times I would have shot Olivia chapters ago! LOL JK :P hahah, though, I'm deeply thankful for all the INCREDIBLE feedback I received for last chapter, thanks to all of you! ****Now, I know where I want to take the story to, but my mind is completely open and there are some things I haven't worked out yet, so if you have any suggestions just write them down! :) Thanks again for all the ficlove! Hope you like this chapter!**

Alex heard Olivia screaming 'gun' and time stopped. After that she couldn't make out what was happening. People yelled everywhere; Cassidy quickly reached near them and took Amy in his arms. Alex blinked and saw how other guards cuffed the shooter. She then felt unknown arms over her; Alex turned around and saw that it was one of the guards she had interviewed a few weeks ago. He was attempting to lead her out of the scene.

That was when she realized what had happened. Alex drove her look to the floor and saw Olivia laying there with her pair of lost brown eyes. A man was making pressure over the injury. One more time, Alex felt strong arms pulling her away. "No!" She protested. "I'm not leaving her!" Alex cried and her bright blue eyes watered.

"I have to keep you safe, Miss Cabot. We need to go." The guard insisted but the blonde's last phrase and her desperate look convinced him.

"I'm not leaving her side." She said crying and knee-down next to the brunette. Alex felt the male guard behind her. "I'm right here, Liv. It's gonna be okay." She told her and took Olivia's hand into hers. "You're gonna be fine, I promise." Alex whispered and heard her mother calling her.

The young blonde looked to the older one with her eyes filled with tears. Irene's intention was to take her daughter away from Olivia, but as she saw Alex's pain she decided to better not. The mother nodded and Alexandra's attention went back to the brunette.

Eternal moments passed until the paramedics arrived with the ambulance's siren announcing their entrance. Alex squeezed Olivia's hand tighter before letting it go. "Just hang on a few more minutes for me, Liv." She whispered again and saw how Olivia's brown eyes were still staring at nothing.

If Irene, Elliot and Chester were sure of something at the moment, was that Alex had walked over the entire waiting room several times in the last few hours. Irene begged Alex to sit and calm down for the hundredth time and finally, the teenager heard her mother's pleads and did as she was asked.

"When are they going to let me see her?" Alex sighed and ducked with the elbows over the knees, she rubbed her head.

"These things take time. Why don't you go to get a snack or something? I'll be right here if the doctor appears." Irene gently suggested.

The blonde shook her head. "No. I need to get in there first. She received a shot that was meant for me, mom. Olivia saved my life, and Amy's." Alex looked at her mother, her eyes dropping tears one more time. Irene was about to speak when a doctor came into their sight. "How is she?" Alex immediately stood up and asked to the professional.

The man started to explain the situation. "The bullet hit on her right shoulder, that was crucial, because an injury like this one on the left shoulder, could have caused much more serious problems—" He was cut off by Alex.

"Just tell me how she is gonna be and when I can see her. I can hear the medical details later."

The doctor sighed. "I can't tell you if she'll completely recover her shoulder's motion, we'll know that with the time. As for seeing her, if you'd like you can go in there right now." He smiled tenderly and Alex returned the smile quickly before running straight to Olivia's room.

Irene stayed in the waiting room with Elliot by her side asking some questions to the doctor. Lake, in the other hand, went behind the blonde girl. Alex felt his presence and spoke to him before entering. "I would like you to wait for me outside the room." She said.

"You know I can't do that, Miss Cabot. I'm your temporary guard and I must be beside you every time just like Benson did." Chester Lake told her and the blonde pleaded with her eyes.

"The woman in that room is not going to hurt me, never." Alex firmly said. "Olivia just saved my life. I need to talk with her without someone I don't trust beside me. So, will you please do me the favor of waiting for me right behind this door? Thank you Mr. Lake." Without caring for receiving an answer, Alex made her way inside the room and turned to the hospital bed where Olivia was laying, looking straight to her. "Hey." Alex's tone voice softened as she grabbed a chair and sat next to the brunette.

"Hey." Olivia greeted her weakly.

Both pair of eyes felt the rush of emotions as they watered. They kept silence for only a moment. "I'm so happy you're okay." Alex spoke again. "I don't know what I'd have done without you." She took Olivia's left hand and held it tightly.

"You would have done the same thing you'll do now. Go to Law School and kick all the perp's asses." Olivia responded with a smile and Alex laughed for the first time since the incident. "You know I would've done it anyway, right? You know… even if I would have known the bullet would kill me. I would risk my life for you all over again." She said with a more serious tone.

"Don't say that. I would rather die myself than losing you, Liv." Their fingers interlaced over the white sheets. "But mainly, I would prefer to not think about any of us dying." Alex brought up a small chuckle from Olivia and smiled. "You know, even after being shot and wearing that ugly hospital outfit, you're absolutely the most stunning woman in the entire world."

Olivia sighed and dropped her head down. "Alex…" She started saying but the blonde interrupted her.

"Don't 'Alex' me. Not Now." Another sigh came out from Olivia's mouth. "I almost lost you today. For a moment I thought I had." The blonde squeezed Olivia's hand tighter. "What we said earlier… I get it. It hurts me but I understand all the reasons. But please, don't keep me away from telling you how perfect I think you are. Not now that we're only the two of us."

"I need to learn how to say no to you." The brunette stated with a sigh. "Come here." Olivia moved closer to the right edge of the bed, making space for Alex.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna hurt you." Olivia simply nodded. "Okay, but if anything bothers you, just tell me." Alex said as she climbed up on the bed and cuddled herself into Olivia.

"How can something bother me when I have you in my arms?" Alex barely blushed. "Well, more like just one arm now." Olivia chuckled and sighed one more time. "This is so perfect though."

"I know." Alex whispered and looked to Olivia.

"How are _you_ feeling?" Olivia asked, she knew how traumatizing the events might have been for Alex.

"I'm okay. I just needed to know that you were fine." The blonde answered.

"I'm glad to hear that." Olivia said. "Though, I would prefer if you went to a few therapy sessions." Alex was about to argue until Olivia spoke again. "Would you do that for me?"

The blonde caressed the brunette's thigh with her hand. "I need to learn how to say no to you." Alex copied Olivia's previous words. "I'm worried about Amy." She started saying. "I haven't seen her since I left the mansion, and that was at the same time you were on the ambulance."

"She'll be okay, she's a strong kid. Nothing happened to me and that would help her a lot. Plus, she has this beautiful and wonderful big sister." Olivia said and rubbed her face against Alex's hair." The teenager was about to speak but before she could say anything, the door was closed as quickly as it had been opened. Both women's heart stopped until they saw the intruder's face.

"Well, and I thought you've must be having a bad time here with this entire getting shot thing." Casey Novak walked near them and standing at the end of the bed, she searched between the sheets for Liv's toes and played with them. "Hey little toes, you've missed me? I know big Olivia didn't, because now she's a hero and not any hero. Oh no, she's the hero _with _the girl." Alex and Olivia noticeably laughed. "I know, little ones, I know. She'll probably won't be as cool as she was before, but, I think blondie is pretty great though, so I'm gonna accept her. You'll better do it too." Casey pointed to Olivia's toes.

"Hey Case." Olivia's huge grin greeted her best friend. "How did you—" Casey moved her chin in Alex's direction, telling Olivia who had called her. "I think I should marry you right now." Olivia giggled and placed a kiss on Alex's head. "Thanks, Alex."

"No need to." She sincerely replied and sighed. "Well, I love being like this, but my mother is getting in here at any minute and I don't think she'd have the same reaction Casey had." Alex kissed Olivia's neck gently.

"You two are just the cutest thing ever. You're even cuter than a little kitten and Olivia's toes all in one." Casey commented bringing up more laughter from the other two women.

"Why don't you go look up for your mom and let her and anyone that's outside in?" Olivia suggested Alex.

"Yeah, go. I'll take care of your woman for a while." The redheaded said.

_My woman. _Alex smile at the thought and the replied to Casey. "I don't know how safe she'll be, but I'm gonna give you my trust." She joked, slowly kissed Olivia's cheek one more time and walked outside of the room.

"So how's that going?" Casey asked with a smirk.

"It's not going, actually." Olivia replied without any sign of a smile. "We talked earlier, and we both know that our relationship it's platonic, at least for the next several months." Casey nodded and went to hold her best friend's hand. "But we just couldn't keep ourselves apart from the other these past minutes, not with all the stuff that happened today."

"You needed to know she was safe. That's fine, Liv." Casey whispered and Olivia sighed before replying.

"I know, Case. It's just I can't believe something that feels so right and meant to be could be so wrong in so many ways and for so many eyes." Olivia's eyes watered again.

"But it's not wrong for those who see all the love you have for each other. It's only a matter of time. You two are meant to be, without any doubts." The two friends remained silent for a few moments until they heard the door being opened again.

Irene, Elliot, Cragen and Chester entered. "Where's Alex?" Olivia asked as soon as she didn't see the younger blonde.

Irene gently smiled before answering. "She's bossing around the hospital and getting some food for you." Olivia slightly laughed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. My shoulder hurts when I move but it's not as bad as I'd thought. Thank you from checking me in such a nice hospital." The brunette politely said.

"Oh, please, don't try to thank me. You saved my two daughters today. There's no way I could thank you enough times, Olivia." Irene sweetly told her.

"I would do it again. Regardless of what might happen to me." The guard replied and Irene's eyes were the ones that watered this time. She reached and carefully hugged the 24-year-old woman that was resting in front of her.

**It wasn't that bad, wasn't it? haha, I think I kinda enjoyed scaring you all (Don't worry I don't plan on doing again... at least not to soon!)**

**Tell me what you think! Click the lovely button below!**


	20. A Second Shooting

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the kinda long waiting! I'll try to upload at least two or three more chapters this week because on Sunday I'm going on a trip and I won't be uploading anything until the next Friday I guess. Thanks to you all for the feedback! Hope you like this chapter!**

"How did you miss it?" Thomas Cabot angrily yelled at his security staff. "He was dressed up like another guard. Didn't any of you think you didn't know him?"

One of the men spoke. "Sir, we've hired tons of new guards the last few weeks—"

"I don't care about your excuses."Thomas interrupted him. "I want to know who he is and for whom he works for, and I want all the papers in my desk at first hour tomorrow." The Mayor firmly said before he heard the door being opened.

Chief Cragen entered the room and asked his team to leave the room. "Mr. Mayor, there are no words to describe how sorry my team and I are for what happened. But I promise you that you'll have this guy served on a silver platter when we finish our investigation." Thomas looked at him dryly.

"So what have you got up until now?" The blonde man asked without looking at the bald one.

"His name is Kurt Moss." Cragen took a recently made file from his desk and handed it to Thomas. "29-years-old, single, he worked for you during the campaign."

"Then why did he want to kill my daughters?" Thomas asked Cragen.

The older man sighed. "I checked the date from when he left the party. It was a week after you announced you support marriage equality."

Thomas sighed and rubbed his head. His eyes slightly watered. "He wasn't trying to me hurt by killing my daughters; he wanted to kill Alex." The man sat down on a chair in front of Cragen's desk. "Three days before I gave that speech my daughter came out to me and her mother. After I pronounced my support in public part of my team turned against me. The day after the press conference, there was a big argument and they asked me why I said that I supported marriage equality. I told them about Alex, most of them understood and stayed at my side, another big part of them just left but told me that they still respected me and they were going to keep it privately." Thomas ended narrating his story and looked straight to the Chief. "My daughter was the target."

* * *

><p>The day after the shooting, Alex was sitting on a chair next to Olivia in the brunette's hospital room. She had slept at her house only because of Olivia's demand but as soon as she woke up, the blonde had driven to the building. It was nearly 11am and Alex had been there for almost an hour but only getting to see Olivia sleeping.<p>

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Olivia asked once her eyes opened and saw her blonde company.

"Did I ever mention how gorgeous you look in your sleep?" Alex said as she took the brunette's hand and gently kissed it.

Olivia sighed and dropped her head. "We have to stop this. You know that." She told Alex.

"I know, I know. But you're not helping either. You look so beaut—"

"Alex!" Olivia playfully yelled at her before she giggled.

"Sorry." The blonde said but then mouthed '_Beautiful' _and started laughing along with the brunette.

Olivia shook her head. "You're impossible." Alex shrugged and Olivia spoke again. "So you're gonna stay here babysitting me the whole day?"

"See how the roles had changed?"

"I can't wait until you go back to school tomorrow." Olivia joked and Alex trying to looked offended.

"If you weren't on a hospital bed I would have hit you right now, Benson." She told Olivia.

"If I weren't on a hospital bed I would have easily evade your punch, Cabot." The brunette snapped back and laughed again. "When are you going to let Lake in? I feel bad for the guy." She asked half seriously.

"Okay, I'm gonna let him in now. Let my hand go." Alex carelessly said smirking at the brunette.

"Nope." Olivia copied the voice of a five-year-old and squeezed Alex's hand harder.

"That's what I was thinking." The blonde said before they heard a knock in the door. "Now that's an awful timing." She commented as she let Olivia's hand go.

"Come in." The brunette softly yelled.

Casey appeared from behind the door first and seconds later, Serena walked through it. "Mom, what are you doing here? You should be at the…" Olivia stopped talking as soon as she remembered that Alex was inside the room. Though she wanted Alex to know everything about her, this wasn't the moment to explain her past. Luckily for her, Serena took the conversation's lead quickly.

"It's okay. Casey explained what had happened and I'll be there for the dinner." The older woman kindly said and Olivia silently thanked Casey. Alex immediately stood up and approached to Serena.

"Mrs. Benson, I'm Alex Cabot. I'm Olivia's—" Fortunately for the blonde, Serena interrupted her. The teenager was now having a new question on her mind. What was she going to say? Alex was Olivia's what? She wasn't her girlfriend, but they weren't simple friends, though they weren't friend with benefits or anything like that either. She wasn't just someone Olivia worked for and Olivia wasn't only her guard. How was she going to explain their relationship? _We're just two women in love. _Alex thought but she wasn't taken aback by Serena's interruption.

"Oh, sweetie! I know who you are." The older woman tenderly said.

"I'm so sorry; the shooting was all my family's and mine fault." Alex started saying but this time it was Olivia who interfered her speech.

"Alex." All the eyes turned to the brunette. "It wasn't yours or your family's fault. You say that one more time and I'm not only gonna quit, I'll make you that Lake follows you to every single place you go until the day you die. Do you hear me?" She said and Alex giggled.

"Yes, boss." The teenager replied.

"Good." Olivia told her before Alex spoke again.

"I'm gonna leave so you can talk." The blonde offered some space to the family.

"You don't disturb, dear. Don't think you do." Serena said to Alex and the teenager sighed.

"Thank you, but I'm sure there is at least one thing you prefer to talk without me being here. So I'm gonna tell the nurse Liv is awake so she can have breakfast."

Moments after she spoke, Alex left the room gently closing the door. "How are you feeling?" Serena sweetly asked to her only daughter.

"Well, I don't feel like about to climb a mountain but, it's truly not as bad as it seems." Olivia answered. "They said that I could leave the hospital by the end of the week."

"And you'll be staying with me." Casey talked for the first time since she entered the room.

"Case, you know you don't have to do that. It's not like I can't open my door and cook my food." Olivia rejected the offer.

"I know. But I would love to see your face when you can't cut your meals." The redheaded joked. "You can thank me later for being such an amazing friend."

Olivia stuck her tongue out showing it to Casey and they both laughed. "We are you two going to stop acting like little kids?" Serena asked them laughing and the pair of friends shared a look and answered at the same time.

"Never." Olivia and Casey said with huge grins on their faces.

Serena sighed. "I'll have to deal with it I guess." She shrugged and continued speaking. "What will happen with your shoulder?" She asked concerned.

"I'm starting rehab in a few more days and we'll see it from there." Olivia told her mother and with a soft knock on the door, Alex entered with a nurse following behind.

"Good morning Olivia." The woman kindly said and the injured brunette upped her chest and sat on the bed so the nurse could revise her. Meanwhile, Alex set Olivia's breakfast on the over-bed table.

After a few minutes checking Olivia, she spoke again. "Seems everything's going just the way we hoped." A brief smile was released. "Enjoy your meal. If you need anything you only have to call me."

The nurse left the room and instantly, Alex reached Olivia her breakfast. The brunette attempted to say something but the blonde was quicker. "You need to eat, Liv." Olivia nodded and took the cup of tea in her left hand.

Alex tried to help her but now it was Olivia who stopped the other. "Uh uh, I can do it."

* * *

><p>"Chief." A member of the Mayor's security staff interrupted the interrogation and immediately Cragen left the room. He had personally been questioning Kurt Moss for several hours without getting a confession; he didn't know what his guards had found out, but if they had interrupted him, it was definitely going to worth it.<p>

"What do you got?" Cragen asked as soon as the door was closed.

The younger man showed him a picture of the party. "Moss was talking to this man, also dressed up as a guard. No one here recognizes him." The security chief quickly took the photograph between his hands.

"Send that picture to everyone." Cragen ordered and went back into the interrogation room.

Grinning, he sat in front of the shooter. "What?" Moss instantly asked. The bald man threw the picture over the table. "That's what this is all about? One of your stupid guards?" Kurt said hiding his nerves.

"We both know that man doesn't work for me." Cragen quietly told him.

"Well, I don't know him." The man lied and the chief sensed it.

"I think you do."

* * *

><p>Nick Ganzner paced around the hospital trying to find the room he wished. Silently, he made his way through the hallway until he saw a man standing next to the door Nick wanted to open.<p>

Impersonating his chosen character the best he could, Ganzner approached to the man.

"May I help you?" Lake asked as he saw Nick nearing.

"I'm looking for Olivia Benson's room." Ganzner said.

The guard nodded. "And you are…?"

"Her brother." One man told to the other. "Is this her room?"

"Yeah. I didn't know she had a brother." Chester commented before he felt his phone ringing.

Lake slid the lock with his finger and saw the phone that had been sent to him. "We're not that close you know." Ganzner lied to him. "May I come in?" His hand was over the knob.

Lake glanced to Nick and to his phone back again. Ganzner recognized the man's look and opened the door as fast as he could, taking his gun out and directly pointing to the shocked teenage blonde.

He pulled the trigger.

But it was too late. As fast as Ganzner opened the door, Chester was behind him grabbing the man's arm and leading the bullet to the hallway.

"Get behind the bed, _now!"_ Olivia ordered Alex and the scared blonde did as she was told with Serena and Casey following.

Lake fought with Ganzner for the gun during little seconds until the first one threw it as far away as possible. During those moments, Olivia felt extremely impotent. She was trained for situations like this, but there was nothing she could do more than try to keep the women calmed.

At the same time the gun was lost, the hospital's security arrived. With one last blow, the shooter fell and Chester cuffed him.

Casey was tightly holding the sixteen-year-old when she heard Olivia calling their names. "It's okay. It's over." The brunette gently said trying to calm the three women. "Are any of you hurt?" She asked but no one answered. "Okay. You can come out of there now, it's okay." Olivia saw Chester looking at her and she motioned him to go deal with the guy, she'll make sure everyone was fine.

In a slow pace, Alex, Casey and Serena stood up. The blonde one severely more shocked than the other two. "Are you okay?" The young woman asked to Olivia.

The brunette wanted to cry along with the blonde as she heard the pain on Alex's voice. "Yes, sweetheart. I'm fine; you're fine, nothing bad happened. Okay?" Alex nodded and tears kept falling from her eyes. Olivia shushed to her. "Come here." The guard opened her arms and caressed the teenager's head. "Everything is okay, Alex. We're all fine and Chester already cuffed the man, he's going to be locked up for a long time. Everything will be alright, I promise."

Alex held herself closely to Olivia's healthy arm for as long as she could.

**I was about to gift another cliffhanger to all of you, but I'm not that mean yet haha.**

**Hope you had liked the chapter! **

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	21. Nightmares and Older Brothers

**A/N: I know I said I would update the fic several times this week, it was my idea, but it seemed my school teachers didn't share it ¬¬ I'm so sorry! I will try to update at least one more time tomorrow but I don't think I'm gonna be able to. Thank you all for the feedback as always!**

_Colorful balloons everywhere, kids playing with then, a big cake with seven candles. They were all wishing happy birthday to Amy when—BOOM!_

_Olivia's body fell. Her blood everywhere, the paramedics didn't arrive… They never did._

"Alex woke up, sweetheart." Irene shook her sleeping daughter who slowly opened her eyes and realized how sweated she was.

"I… Olivia… The paramedics, they didn't come, mom. They left her there." Her tears became real as she embraced her mother.

"It's okay, Alex. Olivia is okay. The paramedics arrived, they saved her. She's fine. It was just a dream."

It took half an hour for Irene to calm down her daughter.

* * *

><p>Her office's door was knocked just in time. Melinda Warner stood up and opened it, letting her newest patient come in. They greeted each other and the psychologist took her regular seat.<p>

Melinda closely looked at her patient. She seemed scared, nervous, without wanting to be there. "I don't bite, you know." She tried to break the ice but only received a polite smile in reply. "You don't have to be well-mannered here." The dark skinned woman said. "Remember, I can't say anything you tell me to anyone."

"I know; I'm sorry. I'm a little bit more nervous that what I expected." The young blonde spoke softly for the first time.

"It's okay." Melinda assured her. "Why do you think you're so nervous?" She asked and watched how the teenager shrugged. "Okay." The dark skinned woman gently smiled. "Wanna tell me the reason why you're here?"

"I…" Alex started talking but she felt speechless.

"Take your time."

The blonde took a deep breath and narrated her story. "Last week, there was a shooting at my little sister's birthday. A man tried to shoot me but…" her eyes wetted. "…but Olivia, she stepped in front of me and took the bullet."

"Who's Olivia?" Melinda asked as she wrote on her notebook.

"She's…" Alex hesitated while answering and her therapist noticed it. "She's my guard." The blonde finally said.

Melinda noted the indecision on the paper but didn't mention it to Alex. "And what happened to her?"

The teenager told her psiquiatrist what had occurred the previous week. "I know she's okay now but I was so scared… I thought I was going to lose her. I still do sometimes. I…" Alex sobbed.

"You what, Alex?" Melinda gently encouraged her.

"I have nightmares, not every day but they are so awful. A few times when I woke up, I even texted her so I know she is okay and that it was just a dream." The blonde said while tears were dropped.

"Have you told her about your nightmares?" The therapist asked and Alex shook her head.

"No and I don't plan on doing it. I really don't want her to know."

"Why?"

"Because knowing that will only hurt her." The blonde said as a matter-of-fact.

Melinda nodded. "But she could help you. Why do you refuse to tell her about these nightmares? Why do you care so much about her being hurt by it?" The dark eyed woman notice how the younger one hesitated even more than before.

Alex looked with her wet blue eyes to Melinda. "Because I love her." The blonde had never said something more truthful than her last statement. It was the first time she said she loved Olivia aloud, and she regretted the second after speaking. "Please, don't write that on your notebook." Alex begged to her therapist. "I don't want anyone to know."

"I won't say anything to anyone. Everything we talk about inside these four walls remains here. Remember, our sessions are confidential. I believe you must be aware of the confidentiality exceptions. Am I right?"

Alex nodded. "You are. I'm aware that you need to report it if something illegal is happening, but don't worry; we haven't even kiss each other." This time, the blonde found herself relaxed, as if she was in her bedroom talking with Trevor, instead of having a deep conversation with a woman who was practically a stranger to her.

"Tell me about your relationship with her."

Alex started talking about the day she met Olivia, how she had fell into the guard's spell and about how their relation had changed since the day of the shooting. "It's frustrating to know that if I were only a few years older we could be together, without anyone judging us." The blonde said weeping.

* * *

><p>"Give me the keys." Olivia said to Casey who didn't move. "What? At least let me opened the door. I need to do something productive or I'm gonna die, Case." The redheaded handed her apartment's key to her best friend and while the brunette walked to open the door for them, she grabbed Olivia's luggage.<p>

"If you wanna be productive, make me a grilled cheese. Thank you very much." Casey said and Olivia happily headed to her friend's kitchen. "But without burning it, please." The tall brunette heard the unnecessary comment but didn't reply.

Casey went to the one that would be Olivia's bedroom for the next couple of weeks and left the bag there.

Olivia checked the hour as she waited for the grilled cheese to be done. _5.10pm._ Immediately, she took her phone from her pocket and started texting. '_How did it go?'_

She waited impatiently for little moments until she received the answer. _'I cried almost the entire session. Is that a good or bad thing?' _Olivia smiled as she read the message and replied. _'Good one. How are you feeling?'_

Olivia sent the text and the answer arrived at the same time Casey appeared. _'What about you join my family and me on Sunday and I tell you about it? I certainly don't feel like texting about this.' _The brunette's eyes opened and stared at the message.

"Well, are you going to tell me how hot I look in my yoga pants or you'll just continue sexting with blondie?" Casey said as she reached to Olivia and took her phone away. "Well, this certainly isn't what I thought I would read. What are you gonna tell her?"

"That I won't go, obviously." Olivia grabbed her cell back and started typing but Casey stole it again.

"Why would you refuse to such an amazing offer? You get to spend the entire day with Alex in her house, which means, no guards next to you."

"Which means, her entire family will be there having their monthly lunch at Alex's." Olivia corrected Casey. "There's no way I'm gonna go." She took her phone back but before she sent the new text another one came in. _'Please? My parents will be asking why the hero isn't coming. I told them you'd be there.'_

Casey leaned near Olivia to read the message. "That girl knows how to play. Now you have to go." The redheaded laughed and patted her friend's back.

* * *

><p>Phillip Cabot smashed his body against the couch his father kept on his studio. He closed his eyes and rubbed his head. The young man tried to incorporate everything Thomas had just said to him; his sister's sexuality had caused everything. "I knew this would happen." He told his father. "I knew it would only cause problems."<p>

"You know that that 'it' you are talking about is your sister right?" Thomas angrily said to his son.

"Not her." He puffed. "What she says she is."

The older man looked straight to the younger one. "You will respect your sister for what she is_. _Do you understand me? I don't want to hear any nasty commentaries to her through your visit."

"You know I love Alex. I only wish her happiness, but why can't her happiness be with a man? Is it that hard for her to understand that's the way things are?"

"Phillip." Thomas strictly said. "Your sister is not the one that needs to understand what's right and what's wrong. She's not mentally ill."

"Yeah, well, the shooter didn't think that, huh?" The 20-year-old snapped.

"That's enough. If you can't save your thoughts for yourself during your visit then you're welcome to leave." The Mayor got near his older son. "I love you, and I do know you love your sister, but you need to accept her for what she is and not for what you want her to be."

"I… I'll do my best." Phillip sighed.

* * *

><p>Alex drove back to her house from the psychologist's office as fast as she could; she didn't want to see her new guard anymore. Since the day of the shooting, the blonde had been rotating guards almost every day. Some of them were nice but others were the kind of people you want to stab immediately after you've met them.<p>

She entered to her house and before she could make it to her room, Alex felt her phone ringing. _'I'll be there.'_

The blonde smiled as she read Olivia's text and unconsciously placed her hand over the door's knob to open it. A voice stopped her. Alex turned around to see her older brother standing a few feet away from her. "Phillip!" She ran to hug him. "Why didn't anyone tell me you were coming?"

"I thought it would be nicer if I magically appeared." He said and dropped his head to the floor. "I'm sorry I wasn't here last week. I wanted to come earlier but—"

"It's okay." Alex interrupted him. "I'm so happy you're here!" She hugged her brother tighter.

"Are you sure it's only about me? You had a pretty big smile for being simply reading a text." Phillip teased his little sister and quickly grabbed Alex's phone. "Let's see who the lucky guy is."

"Well, if it was that way, it would be gal and you know it and should start to accept it." The blonde took her cell back before her brother could read the text and sighed. "But let's not argue about this, please?"

"Okay." Phillip said remembering the previous conversation he had with his father. "But I still want to know who makes you smile." He stole Alex's phone again and this time he accomplished his objective.

"It's only Olivia. She'll be joining the family on Sunday." Alex said casually.

"So I'm reading a text that comes from a hero?" Phillip joked. "I feel honored."

"Oh, you should." Alex laughed.

* * *

><p>"Hey." Alex grinned while she opened the door for Olivia. The blonde had asked her to arrive earlier than the rest of the guests so they could be able to talk alone. "How's your shoulder going?" She wondered concerned.<p>

"It's getting better every day. I'm starting rehab on Monday; we'll see how it goes from there." Olivia replied and saw a tiny blonde running towards her.

"Oliiiivvvviaaa!" Amy yelled the woman's name and tugged herself to Olivia's legs as soon as she reached them. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, sweetie. More than you can imagine." The brunette gave the little girl a kind smile. "What about I go and talk about a few things with Alex and after dinner we'll play together?" Olivia said. She had missed the kid, but she wanted –needed— to know what had happened in Alex's therapy session.

Amy nodded and disappeared from their sight while Alex guided Olivia to her bedroom. Alex silently sat down on her bed, staring at some random point she had chosen. "How did it really go?" Olivia asked as she saw the blonde's state.

Alex looked up and connected her eyes with Olivia's. "Thank you for making me go to therapy." She said. "I need someone to share everything with." Olivia heard what Alex said and, though she knew it wasn't meant that way; it hurt her to not be able to be that someone. It took a couple of seconds but the blonde saw the other woman's reaction and corrected herself. "I need someone _else_ than my everything to share everything with." Alex took Olivia's hand in hers. "There are some things I prefer not to tell you, not because I don't trust you but because I don't want you to have that weight on your back." Their gazes fixed on the other for long moments until Olivia spoke.

"It's a weight I wouldn't mind to deal with. I…" _I love you. _The brunette thought but didn't say anything when she realized what dangerous zone she was getting closer to. "…I'm gonna play with Amy now, before we both do something stupid." She told Alex and squeezed the blonde's hand before leaving the room.

Alex sighed. It wasn't going to be a relaxing Sunday.

**Hope you liked the chapter :) **


	22. The Cabot Gene

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for waiting this update patiently! My trip was great and the best part of it is that I have thousands of new ideas for the fic! Thanks for all the reviews! Hope you like this chapter!**

Alex stayed in her room while she watched the brunette leaving. She thought about what Olivia had said; _'before we both do something stupid'._

The blonde was angry; she didn't want and never asked for this situation. Every day, her love for the brunette became stronger and so did the chances of them never having a real relationship. Alex curled up over the bed and closely held one of the small cushions placed on top of it. She cried and silently cursed for eternal moments.

Then, Alex realized that if she loved Olivia as much as she said she did, she needed to let her go. The blonde realized she wasn't the only one suffering because of this impossible relationship. Olivia wasn't having a good time being the adult and stopping her every single time they were alone.

Alex took her phone and wrote the text without hesitation. _'I need you to set me up with someone, as fast as possible, and make it someone I could fall in love with.' _She searched for Trevor's number and stared at it for long minutes before sending it.

She needed to move on, for Olivia and for herself. It wasn't fair, and giving up hadn't been her plan; but loving Olivia was too hurtful. Alex needed a way out of it.

A few more seconds and the answer arrived. _'I'll do it, but, what happened?'_

'_Can you not ask that? Please?'_

'_I won't. But I still don't think it's a good idea.'_

Alex didn't reply the last message. She stared at the ceiling of her bedroom until she felt her phone ringing again. _'It's settled. Her name is Amanda. She's a year younger than you, and friend of my sister so don't mess it up too much. I'll send you her number and you'll talk with her, okay?'_

The blonde added the number to her contact list and texted the new girl.

* * *

><p>When she left Alex's room, Olivia didn't walk straight to Amy's as she had planned. Instead, she went to the room where she had slept a month ago. The brunette wanted to be alone so she could curse and cry as much as she wanted to. She opened the door but she saw another person was in there. "I'm so sorry, I thought it was empty." Olivia said to the man inside of the room as she begun to close the door again.<p>

"Oh, no, please don't go. I was about to leave, I just came to see how my old room looked now." The young man offered his hand to Olivia. "I'm Phillip."

Olivia took a better look of him and realized the boy was his father's clone. There was no doubt he was Cabot. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Olivia Benson, Alex's guard before…you know." She said and shook Phillip's hand.

"It's nice to finally being able to properly thank you, Olivia. You're the hero here." He told her with a smile and looked more carefully to the brunette. The young man admired every curve and easily acknowledged that, even with an injured arm, the woman in front of him was stunning. "How's the shoulder going?"

"Thanks for asking. I'm starting rehab on Monday. I'll let you know how it'll go from there." Olivia replied with a gentle smile.

Phillip nodded. _Beautiful, kind and educated. _He thought and his gaze traveled through the woman's body one more time. Oh yes, she was perfect for him. There was just one little problem. "Are you planning on rejoining the team if everything goes as planned?"

Olivia nodded. "There's nothing I would love more than that."

Phillip gave her a fake smile; Olivia would make an amazing housewife for him, if she quit her career and begun wearing skirts. "I'm glad we've met, Olivia." He said.

"Me too."

"See you at the table." Phillip told her and left the room, leading to Alex's bedroom.

Now she was alone, Olivia remembered why she had walked to that room in the first place. Her eyes wetted and slowly tears started falling at the thought of Alex.

She understood the blonde's need for privacy, but that didn't meant she liked it. "Why are you mad at her? You haven't told her anything about you and your family! You're not the one to complain, Olivia." She spoke to herself.

It was true, Olivia hadn't tell Alex anything about her past, her mother, her father, of why her aunt lives in San Francisco… She had kept all of these things to herself; she couldn't blame Alex for keeping some stuff for herself too. "She has every right to do so." Olivia softly said.

The brunette silently walked to the nearest bathroom and washed her face along with the tears that somehow, stop falling. When she found herself stable, she went straight to Amy's bedroom and knocked the door.

* * *

><p>Alex stood up and walked to her bedroom's door, surprised to see her older brother at the other side. "Hey, come in." Phillip entered the room and Alex quickly closed the door behind them. "What's up?"<p>

"Tell me about Olivia." He said.

"What?" Alex's jaw fell. "Why?" She asked.

"I want to ask her out." Phillip told his sister.

Alex's first reaction was shock. Her own brother wasn't going to ask _her _woman on a date. "She won't be interested." The blonde teenager quickly said.

"C'mon Alex. Give me a chance. Tell me about her." He insisted. "I've just met her and she's perfect."

Alex loved her brother, she really did, but his idea of 'she's perfect' did not involve the other person's thoughts or feelings. "Olivia is not a trophy wife, and you won't be able to turn her into one." Alex said.

"Women do crazy things for love."

_Shame she loves __me__, brother. _"It won't happen, Phillip. She won't let you show her to your friends as if she was a prize to win. She's way too smart for that." _And she's mine. Don't get anywhere near her. I saw her first. _Alex was about to continue her speech when her phone rang.

_Amanda. _The blonde thought and cursed herself. She was trying to keep the woman she loved away from her brother's sight while she was asking out the girl she hoped could make her forget about the one she loved. _No, Alex. You're doing this because you know your brother won't make Olivia happy. It has nothing to do with your feelings for her._

"Aren't you going to read the text?" Phillip asked Alex who shook her head.

"Later." The blonde continued. "Now, I'm gonna say it again, Olivia is not the woman for you, she'll never be Phillip. Stop looking for someone who fits your profile and begin looking for someone who can actually love you." Alex said angrily and exhausted of her brother's insistence.

"Whatever you say, sis." Phillip told her and left the room.

Alex looked at her phone. '_Friday at seven?' _She read Amanda's text and replied. _'Sure.'_ The blonde stared at the door and opened it.

She walked a few steps until she reached Amy's room. The white door was wide open and she could see her little sister 'having tea' with several dolls and teddy bears. Alex's gaze stopped when it caught Olivia's image and the brunette pouring imaginary beverages on everyone's cups.

Alex saw how Olivia played along with Amy, pretending to talk to the dolls and making a toast with the tiny cup. That woman would never be perfect for her brother, Olivia was perfect for her. _Delete that last thought from your mind, Alexandra. You can't be with her. _Alex told to herself and entered to her sister's room. "Hey ladies." The blonde greeted them and instantly drove her gaze to Amy. "Sweetie, would you mind if Olivia misses the tea hour for a few minutes? I need to talk to her."

Amy pouted but finally gave in with the promise that both Alex and Olivia will play with her later. The blonde teenager led her former guard back to her bedroom. "What's wrong?" Olivia gently took Alex's elbows and asked as soon as they were alone. She saw Alex's slightly reddened eyes. "You've been crying."

Alex pulled away from Olivia's touch. "Yeah, I've been. But my tears have nothing to do of why I want to talk with you." She said dryly.

"Then what is it?" Olivia asked confused by Alex's reaction.

"My brother wants to ask you out."

"What?" The brunette said incredulously. "C'mon Alex, we talked for a minute."

The blonde sighed. "I know, I'm just warning you. I love Phillip and he'll be an amazing father and husband someday; but the woman he's looking for is the type of woman that won't say 'no', that won't argue, that won't work or study. He wants a trophy wife."

"Point taken. I'll politely refuse any offer he makes." Olivia said kindly. "You okay?" She asked a few moments later when she didn't receive any commentary from Alex.

"I just don't want you to fell under his spell and end up like that. He can be really persuasive if he wants to." The teenager said and the older woman smiled.

"Persuasion is a Cabot gene." Olivia smirked and reached to take Alex's hand into yours. "And I know from my own experience; I've already fell into another Cabot's spell." The brunette knew she shouldn't have said that, but the worry and sadness on Alex's eyes was killing her.

"I think that's our main problem, isn't it?" Blue eyes met brown ones and Olivia nodded. Alex squeezed their hands tighter before speaking again. "Amy's waiting for us." She released Olivia's hand and both of them walked to the little girl's room.

* * *

><p>At the dinner table, everyone was eagerly talking. Amy was sit between her mother and Olivia, who had Alex to her left and Phillip right in front of her. "For how long are you staying darling?" Lena asked to her grandson. "We need to get another family reunion before you go back to college."<p>

"Until next Sunday I'll be here. What about movie night on Friday?" He proposed.

"I think that's an amazing idea." Irene commented.

"And maybe Alex can introduce us the mysterious person who was texting her today." Phillip didn't know if his sister was even interested in the person who had sent the text while they were talking, but you're never too old to make your sister feel uncomfortable.

"Actually, I'm hanging out with the mysterious person on Friday." Alex would have never said that if she knew so many people were going to comment about it.

"Alex has a date, Alex has a date." Caleb started singing and instantly Irene yelled at him. "Caleb! Don't bother your sister for having a date!"

"You could bring your date here." Phillip said.

"Oh, yes! I would love to meet the mysterious one my granddaughter likes!" Lena added.

While all of this was happening, Olivia almost choked. She quickly glanced at Alex with her gaze full of sadness. "I didn't know you had a date." She said with a low voice.

"It's not a date. Trevor set us up. She's his sister's friend." Alex told her in a somewhat of a whisper.

"Oh, you don't have to explain it to me Alex; I know how dates work." Olivia snapped and threw her attention back to the food in front of her.

Alex wished her brother had never brought the topic up; she wanted to explain to Olivia. But what was she going to tell her anyways? That they needed to move on and forget all the love they had for each other? Maybe she could trick herself with that when she was alone, but if she had to say it to the brunette she wouldn't be able to.

Alex continued eating in silence and Phillip spoke again. "You're invited to come if you'd like, Olivia."

"Oh, thank you. But I wouldn't like to interfere. It's a family reunion after all."

"You won't. Please, join us." Irene encouraged her and Olivia didn't have many other chances than agreeing.

After having lunch, Olivia was on her way out when Phillip stopped her. "Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner some night before I leave."

Alex walked into the room and looked the scene. A second later she knew exactly what was happening.

Olivia saw Alex and thought about what had happened during the past hours before answering. If Alex was having a date with someone, why couldn't she? They weren't a couple; they didn't have any obligations with the other. "Sure." She wrote her number on a piece of paper and handed it to Phillip. "Call me." Olivia smirked and after glancing at Alex one more time she left the Cabot mansion.

**WOW. Well, everything's fair in love and war, right? We'll see how these 'dates' turn out.**

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	23. Loving you Hurts Too Much

**A/N: Hello to all of you! Thank you for patiently waiting for this update, so as a prize for your awesomeness and all the ficlove (THANKYOUSOMUCH!) I've received, here goes a 3500 words chapter that's overwhelmed with drama. I think you'll like it, especially the ending haha. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, alerts, faves and hits! hope you like this new chapter!**

_She lays on the floor, helpless. There's blood everywhere. I see her but I can't move. There's nothing I can do to help her. I need to help her. I can't lose her. _

_I'm yelling her name but it seems she can't listen to anything I say. _

_Someone reaches over her, a blonde young man. He's helping her, he's saving her! _

_I should be the one who saves her. _

_Wait. No, he doesn't save her. She's still pale and bleeding, actually, she looks even worse than before. He seems to be saving her but he's not. He's making everything worse._

_I yell her name again. "Olivia!" She won't hear me. I can't let her go, she can't die. I need her. "Olivia!"_

Alex woke up and she found herself shaking. Another nightmare about the shooting had tormented her sleep; but this time, there was someone else. A blonde, young man had appeared. _He only appeared to screw everything up. _Alex thought as she recognized the man as her own brother.

* * *

><p>"Please, tell me again why you agreed to go out with him." Casey sarcastically said as she observed Olivia dressing up for her date with Phillip.<p>

"Because I need to move on from an impossible relationship." She said as she put her dress pants on.

"And the best way to do that is to date her brother? I mean even if it does magically work out, you'll be seeing Alex on every family reunion." The redheaded spoke but Olivia shut her ears to not listen a word she said.

"How do I look?" She asked to her friend without much interest, it wasn't like she wanted to look special for Phillip.

"Let me take a pic and send it to Alex, I bet she'll get warm down there by seeing it." Casey grinned and admired herself for such a good commentary.

"She'll be too busy with her own date." Olivia angrily said.

"So that's what this is all about." Casey smirked to her friend. "Payback." Olivia sighed and sat over her bed, rubbing her head with her good arm. "Damn, Liv. You've fell hard, haven't you?"

"Tell me about it." Olivia mumbled.

Casey sat down besides her best friend. "And you are going to meet him though you know that?" Olivia nodded. "Okay, it's your life. Call me if you need anything."

Olivia assured Casey she'll do it and after grabbing her purse, she left the apartment.

The brunette saw an expensive car parked outside and immediately knew it was Phillip's. The 20-year-old man greeted the 24-year-old woman.

"Thank god I'm wearing my dress pants and not my jeans." She said with a soft smile as she saw Phillip's tie and jacket and looked back to her own outfit. "Where do you wanna go?"

"I've already booked a table for us in my favorite restaurant." He informed her. "And I brought this for you to wear." Phillip handed a bag to Olivia. "Sorry I couldn't bring it earlier."

"Thanks_. _You didn't have to buy me anything." She inspected the gift and saw a dress and a pair of heels inside the bag. The brunette looked at Phillip, this time, with a fake smile. "I'll definitely wear it next time." She said.

"Or you could go back to the apartment and change your clothes." He told her. "You'll look amazing in it." The blonde man insisted.

"Okay." Olivia turned around and opened the door she had just closed. The woman climbed back upstairs to her best friend's apartment.

"What happened?" Casey asked as soon as she heard Olivia closing the door fiercely.

"Would you take my place? Please?" The brunette said desperately.

"Oh, c'mon, he can't be that bad." The redheaded walked to her friend. "What's that?"

"He brought a dress for me." She said taking it out of the bag. "We're going to his favorite restaurant." Olivia explained. "And of course, it was easier to make me wear a dress and high heels than to accept I prefer my pants and comfortable shoes."

Casey laughed as Olivia reluctantly changed into her new outfit. "It's not that bad." She said.

"You know that's not the problem."

"I know. The problem is that you'll be looking sexy for Alex's brother." Olivia eye-shot Casey and finished dressing. "Wow, Liv. It really does suck that he's your date and blondie isn't." She said once she saw how the knee-length dark red dress fitted her best friend.

"Please, Case. I'm trying to stop thinking about 'blondie' here." Olivia begged Casey to stop.

"Okay. But you can't say I didn't warn you."

The woman thanked her redheaded friend and went back to where Phillip was waiting for her.

"You look incredible." He said and opened the door for her.

The trip to the restaurant was silent, or at least Olivia was. The brunette had easily discovered that it was better to agree with Phillip than to try to argue with him. She wondered what had happened to him to be so different from the rest of his family.

Phillip parked the car and the pair entered to where they were going to have dinner that night. After they had taken seats, a waiter approached and offered them two menus. "That's fine, Peter." Phillip told the waiter before Olivia had begun reading her menu. "We'll both have my regular." Peter nodded and disappeared. "You'll love it." Phillip spoke to Olivia.

"I'm sure I'll do, thought I wouldn't minded if you'd let me choose my own meal." She snapped and Phillip decided to change the topic.

"So, are you coming to the reunion on Friday?" He asked.

_Thanks for hearing me out, Phillip. _Olivia thought."I don't know yet. I really don't wanna intrude."

"You won't, Alex will invite whichever guy she's dating. Why can't I take my own date too?"

Olivia didn't know how to react after Phillip's words. That phrase was wrong on so many levels.

"First of all, I know Alex is gay. You don't have to pretend she's not."

Olivia was about to continue when their entrées quickly arrived. Phillip thanked the waiter and they started eating in silence until Olivia heard Phillip mumbling. "It's just a phase anyway."

"Excuse me?" She said incredulously.

"Oh, c'mon. You don't believe her too, don't you? Everyone in my family is so glad she came out to them. You've must seen my aunts' faces. '_You can call us anytime you need to talk to someone who understands what you're going through.'_ They were over the moon when she said she was gay. It's just a phase, until she finds the right man."

"What's wrong with you? Does Alex know what do you think about this?" Olivia asked still in shock for Phillip's thought on the blonde's sexuality.

"Of course she does! I'm the only one who told her the truth. My parents won't admit it."

"You're an idiot." The brunette was about to stand up and leave when Phillip stopped her.

"Olivia, please. Let's don't make a scene. What I was trying to say is that she'll invite her date too, so you won't feel out of place."

Olivia hesitated before answering. She didn't want to go with Phillip, she didn't want to spend another second near him; but she had a chance, one chance, to keep an eye on Alex while the blonde was with her "date", she wasn't going to let it go away. "I'll you on Friday. Thanks for the appetizers." She stood up. "And you better change your mind about homosexuality for Friday." She left and a perplexed Cabot remained sit on the restaurant.

* * *

><p>"How's everything going with Olivia?" Dr. Warner asked her patient on their regular Friday session.<p>

Alex sighed. "I don't think it's even going anymore." She replied sincerely.

"What happened?" Melinda inquired as she wrote on her notebook.

"I…" The blonde woman began to speak. "I asked Trevor to set me u with someone… Damn, it sounds even worse when you say it out loud." Alex said and tears started rolling down her cheeks. "We were talking about these sessions and… She_ 'stopped us from doing something stupid'"_ The teenager remembered the exact same words Olivia had used. "So I did something stupid as scheduling a date; and she found out. Then my brother asked her out… she said yes though I warned her."

"You warned her about what?"

"About Phillip. He's from the past century, he's idea of a perfect woman is what Olivia would never be. I rather prefer not seeing her anymore than seeing her turned into a brainless, 1950-like housewife." Alex said and Melinda looked up to her.

"I didn't know you hated your brother." She commented.

"I don't. He's not a bad guy, he's really nice and he only wants the best for everyone he loves. But if he wants a woman like that, he'd better don't get anywhere near Olivia." The blonde told her psychologist who simply nodded.

"Have Olivia and your brother gone on their date?"

Alex dropped her head. "Yeah, two days ago."

"And?" Melinda encouraged her to speak.

"He said it was great. She wore a beautiful dress he gifted her and they ate at some elegant restaurant." The sixteen-year-old said showing as little emotions as possible.

"Have you spoke with Olivia and asked what does _she _think about the date?"

Alex shook her head. "I haven't spoken to her for five days." She wiped a tear.

"I think it would be great if you get the chance to have a real conversation with her. If you two get the chance to really talk about what is happening between you." Melinda sweetly said and Alex nodded.

"I'd like that to." The blonde smiled.

Melinda smiled back to her and changed the topic. "How is your nightmares issue going?"

Alex's smile vanished. "They've become more frequent and powerful since I've stopped talking to her. And it takes more time for me to recover since I cannot text her anymore." The blonde made a brief pause. "I need her." She sobbed.

* * *

><p>Later that Friday, Alex entered to her house with her date behind her. They had just left the coffee shop where they met and talked for around two hours. Amanda was definitely someone Alex could fell for; she was smart and kind, and she had an accent that could drove her crazy; but there was one problem— Amanda wasn't Olivia.<p>

Alex had thought about not inviting Amanda to the family reunion, but then she remembered how much she hated when the Cabot clan questioned her, and they would definitely interrogate her if she didn't show up with the other girl.

The two teenagers got inside the Cabot mansion and as Alex expected, big part of her family was already there. She introduced Amanda to all of them and everyone started talking willingly.

A few minutes later, the bell rang and Alex went to open the door hoping it would be her grandparents. Her smile half vanished when she saw the woman she cared about so much at the entrance. "Hey." Alex said but didn't move.

"Hey." Olivia replied with her hands on her jacket's pockets. "May I come in?"

The blonde realized she was standing firmly between the door and the house and immediately moved. "Sorry." Olivia smiled at her and Alex felt those annoying butterflies running through her stomach one more time. She sighed and closed the door before making her way back to where Amanda was.

The brunette was kindly welcomed by all the Cabots and tightly hugged by Amy who refused to let her go. Phillip approached to her but as he received an unfriendly look, he decided to stay away from Olivia that night. The group waited for a couple of minutes more until everyone arrived and walked to the media room. Amanda innocently took Alex's hand on their way to the room and the older blonde didn't know what to do. She didn't want to make Amanda feel bad or uncomfortable by refusing to take her hand, but she didn't want to hurt Olivia either. Alex squeezed Amanda's hand and caressed it with her thumb for a few steps to then let it go when she felt Olivia's presence near.

The Cabot family and guests took their places and accommodate themselves to watch the movie. Amy insisted Olivia they sit on the floor so the brunette sat there with the little girl over her; as she saw this, Amanda immediately sat near them, leaving place for Alex right next to Olivia.

The sixteen-year-old blonde sat between her date and the woman she wanted to be her date, uselessly trying to concentrate in the movie. Alex and Olivia exchanged looks, at the same time Amanda smiled to the blonde and relax her body on hers. Olivia looked back to the film, wondering why on Earth she was sitting there, being such a masochist person.

After the first forty minutes, Alex couldn't handle it anymore. She couldn't stand being next to Olivia without talking to her. Blue eyes searched for dark brown ones and found them. Alex stared at Olivia for a few moments until she whispered she was going to the bathroom and left the media room.

The brunette knew Alex was going to her bedroom, and that the blonde wanted her to go after her. But would she do it? Olivia debated with herself, knowing there was no point on doing it; of course she'd go after Alex.

A few moments after the blonde did, the brown eyed woman stood up and walked a known path to the teenager's bedroom. She placed her hand over the knob, sighed and opened the door, letting herself inside the room.

Alex was sat over her bed, with her back to Olivia. "I can't handle this anymore." The brunette heard the blonde complaining and got really angry.

"You're the one who asked that girl out. I didn't put you in this situation. You did it, and don't try to throw the blame on me." Olivia told Alex, who was confused by the brunette's words and turned around to see her but didn't reply. Olivia puffed in frustration. "Of course, now you are speechless. You know, that's the thing about teenagers. You don't give a damn about anyone else. You don't realize you're not the only ones hurting." Olivia felt her tears being dropped and knew Alex was also crying. "I wanted to make this work! But you had to go and try to be the hero by yourself! You had to leave me wondering what the hell had happened between us for you to go and ask someone else out!" That was when Alex realized Olivia her misunderstood what she had said. Alex had wanted to talk about their relationship being tense; that was what she couldn't handle anymore. But Olivia understood that was Alex couldn't handle anymore was Amanda. Deep in her thoughts, the blonde didn't notice the other woman was yelling at her until Olivia spoke calmly again. "Why did you do it Alex? Why couldn't you wait and talk with me?" Olivia threw herself defeated onto the bed. She cried as she waited for Alex's answer.

"Because loving you hurts way too much." Olivia heard the blonde's declaration and looked up to see right into her eyes. "I thought that maybe, if I tried to meet someone else, I would stop having these feelings for you and it wouldn't hurt me so much to know that I can't have you." Alex said every word without disconnecting her gaze from Olivia's. "But it didn't happen." She made a brief pause. "I tried to let you go with everything I have inside, but my pain only increases as we get more distant." The blonde looked to her bedroom's wall and then back to the brunette in front of her. "Do you know why that happens? It happens because I love you, Olivia. I love you so much that every time I'm not with you I feel like I'm dying inside. I couldn't live feeling like that. I couldn't risk myself to live without you."

Olivia listened to what Alex had just confessed her and replayed every single phrase in her mind. _She said she loved me. _Olivia moved and got a little bit more over the bed so she could be closer to Alex. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before saying all the things she had waited so long to confess. "My mother is an alcoholic. Eight years ago, I was your age, and she had one of her darkest nights. I found her already drunk when I entered to our apartment she threw a bottle towards me and told me how I would never find someone who truly loves me and how I would never truly love someone." The eyes of both were wet and locked into each other's. "I believed her that night, even though she apologized at say it wasn't mean it the day after the events, I believed her. I believed all the horrible things she had said to me that night; and I believed them until a few weeks ago." Olivia took Alex's hand and held it, slightly smiling. "Until I met you, until I fell for you, until I accepted that I loved you. Because I do love you, Alex I love you and I don't know what I'd do if I'm ever forced to leave your side. You're the most amazing woman I've ever met and I can't keep myself from loving you with all my heart."

As soon as Olivia finished speaking, she felt Alex's chest over hers. The brunette embraced the younger blonde and whispered sweet words telling her how much she loved her all over and over again. "Kiss me" She heard Alex's request and didn't hesitate to do what the woman had asked her to do.

Their foreheads met first. Then, they saw the other one's smile as two noses convened just before a pair of blue eyes and a pair of brown ones were closed. Their lips slowly began the path to meet each other and Alex could swear to you, she did hear the fireworks when they were finally together.

Olivia cupped Alex's cheek with her hand and softly kissed the younger woman. She wanted to prove her how much she loved her in just one kiss. Their first kiss was sweet, kind, soft, and the most important thing: full of love. It didn't last hours, but it was exactly what both women had dreamed it would be… maybe even better.

"I love you." Alex said again as they pulled apart and she rested her head on Olivia's neck.

"I love you." The brunette replied with the same passion the blonde had talked to her.

"I don't wanna go back to the media room; I wanna stay here, cuddling with you all day." The Cabot girl said and Olivia remembered the situation they were in.

The older woman sighed. "I may have an idea." She smiled to Alex. "Get inside your pajamas and into bed. If I come back with someone, pretend you're not feeling okay." Olivia instructed her and after kissing Alex's pale cheek, she left the bedroom and walked to the media room.

"Olivia, where's Alex?" Irene asked as soon as she saw her daughter's former guard alone.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. She wasn't feeling great. I told her to get in her pajamas and go to bed. Don't worry; it must be only a virus." Olivia said the lie to Irene the best she could.

"Oh, poor darling, I'm gonna check her." Alex's mother stood up but Olivia stopped her immediately.

"Please, you enjoy the family reunion; I'll take care of her. I'm her guard after all." The brunette smiled to everyone and then looked to Alex's 'date'. "Amanda, she called you, why don't you come with me?" Olivia said that and left the room with the young girl besides her and no one else following.

She knocked the door and opened the bedroom. "Here's Amanda. I've already told everyone you're not feeling okay and you'll spend the entire day on bed." Olivia talked to Alex and the blonde wanted to smile, but she had to pretend sickness.

"Hey, I'm sorry I left you there." Alex spoke to Amanda.

"It's okay. I guess we'll reschedule?"

"I guess so. See you later." The sixteen-year-old blonde said goodbye to the younger girl as fast as possible and Olivia leaded Amanda out of the Cabot mansion.

Then, she walked back to Alex room and got inside, locking the door first. She took her shoes off and lay next to the blonde teenager. Olivia put her arms around Alex's thin body and kissed her neck. "I'm never letting you go away from me." She said.

"I couldn't be happier of hearing that." Alex replied and turned her head around so she could kiss Olivia again.

**The cool thing about this story is that though I made them confess their feelings for each other, there's still so many issues and drama in the middle of their relationship that we have enough material for at least another 23 chapters! haha!**

**I would love if you tell me what you really think about this chapter and the entire fic, click the lovely button below and let me know your point of view!**


	24. She's just a Kid

**A/N: Hey there! Sorry for the delay again. I've been really busy the last week and I'm gonna be equally eventful this one, so I ask you to forgive me if I don't update the story as regularly as I'd like to! **

**Thank you so much for last chapter's reviews! I hope you like this one!**

Olivia looked down to the sleeping beauty she was holding. Only a few minutes had passed since both of them had lay on bed and cuddle, but Alex was already in a deep sleep. The brunette sighed and stared at the gorgeous blonde. She was so beautiful; Alex's pale skin, her marked jaw, her long, blonde hair and her bright, blue eyes that put Olivia on her knees; even when they were closed like on that moment. Alexandra Cabot was pure perfection to the woman's eyes.

Olivia kept her sight over Alex for several minutes more and then planted a kiss on the younger's head. She quietly got out of bed and accommodated the covers. The brunette silently walked to the door and opened it. She left the Alex's bedroom and walked back to the media room where the rest of the Cabots were. Olivia sneaked her head into the room and motioned Irene to get out.

The mother of four stood and went outside with Olivia. "How's Alex? You sure you don't want me to check her?" Irene asked Olivia, having a bad time letting the brunette take care of her daughter.

Olivia shook her head. "She's fine. She's sleeping right now; I bet she'll be feeling much better when she wakes up." The former guard saw how Irene nodded without much enthusiasm. "Do you want to check her anyway?" She wondered.

"Yes, that'll be great." Irene smiled to Olivia and both of them made their way to the blonde's bedroom.

* * *

><p><em>We're cuddling on my bed. She's holding me and I can feel her heart beating, I bet it goes as faster as mine. I love her. <strong>She loves me<strong>. I can't believe this is happening. It can't be. _

_Maybe my own negation of something good happening between us is what leads everything we try to always end up as a catastrophe._

_I look at her. She looks at me. The door opens frantically and then I hear the boom. There's always a boom. I didn't get to see who made it this time, but I knew it will come. As soon as I heard the door opening I was screaming and pleading her to live. "¡Olivia!" Why isn't she answering? "¡Olivia please!" I start crying and begin feeling her blood in my arms. "Please, Liv. I can't lose you." I'm holding her hand tightly but she doesn't respond to anything. "I don't want to lose you."_

Irene heard Alex yelling the second they entered to the room and knew what was happening. _Another nightmare. _She thought and looked to a confused Olivia besides her. Irene wanted to explain the situation to the brunette, but on that moment, her daughter was what was important.

Both women reached the bed where Alex laid. "Honey, it's just a nightmare, everything's fine. Olivia's right here." Irene tried to calm the blonde.

Olivia knee-down next to her and stopped her tears from falling at the sight of the teenager. "Yes, I'm right here, Alex." The brunette instinctively took the blonde's hand in hers and squeezed it. "You're not gonna lose me. I'm okay, I won't leave you."

Irene looked at the desperation that ruled over Olivia. She wondered for just a second if there was something else… something she hadn't notice between both young women, but deleted the idea of her mind immediately. It was crazy.

Suddenly, Alex begun to woke up and as soon as she saw Olivia next to her, she hugged her tightly. "It's okay. I'm right here. I'm right here." Olivia repeated softly to her ear. "You won't lose me." The brunette gently stroked the golden locks.

Alex buried her head in Olivia's neck and sobbed. "I… I…" The dark-haired woman shushed her but she continued speaking. "I'm sorry." The blonde said, and it was true. She didn't want Olivia to see her like this, to know she still had nightmares about the day of the shooting.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Olivia pulled Alex a little apart from her and gently took the pale jaw in her hands. She looked into Alex's also wetted eyes and realized the blonde was sorry for keeping the secret. "I'm not mad with you." _I could never be. _Olivia wanted to say out loud but stopped herself as she remembered Irene's presence again. "There's nothing to worry about." She pulled the blonde back nearer her and whispered low, almost without actually saying anything, on her ear. "Everything's okay, baby."

Olivia shushed Alex's tears away while Irene debated with herself. They both seemed to be closer than what she had thought, but it was normal right? After the shooting and all that had happened, it was natural that they got closer.

Though, it was possible that Alex had a crush on the brunette, after all, the girl was a teenager and Olivia was not only a lovable person but a beautiful young woman. But the way Olivia held and calmed Alex down didn't make sense for it was Olivia's maternal instinct, or the fact that she had been the blonde's guard and felt the need to make her feel safe… Irene rethought all the possibilities one more time and then let the issue go; she'll discretely ask for someone else's opinion later.

After a few minutes Alex's cry begun to stop and her tense body relaxed. She slowly pulled away from Olivia, looked to her mother and spoke. "Mom, can you leave us alone? I… I need to explain this to Olivia." The blonde said cleaning some of her last tears. Irene took a moment to answer, but then nodded and left the room.

As soon as Alex's mother was gone, Olivia caressed Alex's cheek gently. "Whatever is going on, I'm not mad at you and you don't have to apologize, okay?" She told Alex.

"I know. But I still want you to know, I didn't plan to tell you, but I don't want to hide it anymore. You deserve better." Olivia kindly smiled but didn't say anything, wanting Alex to take her own pace. "I've been having these nightmares since the shooting…" She begun and saw pain in Olivia's eyes. "Not every night, but pretty often… Remember those days I texted you when I woke up?" The blonde asked squeezing the brunette's hand. Olivia nodded. "It was the only thing that could really bring me back to the reality, knowing you were okay."

"I'm sorry. I should have known… I—" Olivia spoke with wet eyes.

Alex gently interrupted her. "You what, Liv? Even if you'd known there was nothing you could have done."

"I would have called you every morning and let you know I was safe." The brunette told her. "I would have done everything in my power to make your nightmares go away."

"You made me go to therapy without even knowing, you've already helped as much as you can." Alex softly said and made Olivia smile.

"How's that going?" The former guard kindly asked her.

"You know I've only been there twice." The blonde woman laughed a little and made the other woman's smile to grow. "But it's going great. I like to think there's someone who can guide me through this mess I call my life that's not involved in it and won't suffer any consequences for hearing me out or telling me what she thinks I should do."

"How old is she?" Olivia said out of nowhere.

Alex looked at her confused. "I don't know… a little bit over thirty maybe?"

"Don't fell for her, Cabot. I heard you have a thing for older women." The brunette smirked at the blonde and the mood lightened.

The teenager got out of bed and kneed down next to Olivia. "You've heard wrong. I have a thing for one particular older woman." She carefully placed her hands behind Olivia's neck and kissed her slowly.

It didn't last too long though; because after a few moments, the one particular older woman gently pulled away. "I love you, I really _really_ do. But are you aware that your mother could be right behind that door?" She said and Alex grinned as she stood up.

"I know. That's what made our last kiss as exciting as the first one." She whispered and Olivia also got out of the floor grinning.

"Come one, kisser. I bet your family wants to see you." Both women left Alex's bedroom and made their way back to the media room.

* * *

><p>The movie had just ended when Irene entered. Instantly, she walked straight to where her sister-in-law was sitting and spoke to her. "Liz, can we talk for a second?"<p>

The blonde woman looked at her confused. "Of course." She stood up and Irene leaded her to a more private zone. "Is everything okay?" She worriedly asked.

"I don't know." Irene's eyes glanced at the talking family several feet away from them. "I think Alex might have a crush on Olivia." She said looking to Liz.

"You _think_?" Liz exploded in laughter. "Oh, please, Irene. You know as well as I do that was the reason why Alex chose her to be her guard. I thought you didn't care, after all she's a teenager and crushes come and go at that age."

Irene sighed. "I know. It's just… They seem to be so close…"

"You're afraid it might be reciprocal?" Liz asked and Irene nodded.

"Don't get me wrong. I think Olivia is a wonderful young woman, but my daughter is only sixteen." Irene said making emphasis on Alex's age.

"Turning seventeen in a few weeks." Liz reminded her.

"Still!" The mother of four slightly yelled. "She's a kid! Olivia is twenty-four! I'm not gonna let Alex date an adult!"

"Irene, listen to me." The older woman said firmly. "Olivia is not a pervert. She's a smart, gorgeous, loving young woman. I don't know how deep her feelings for Alex are, but I know she cares about her a lot and she'd already prove to us that she'll risk her life for your daughter. I can't tell you I'll be cheerful to know Alex is dating someone who's almost eight years older than her while she's still a teenager; but if they ever end up together I'll support them. They're two beautiful people and if they love each other they deserve to be happy, without anything else mattering." Elizabeth saw the anger on Irene's face and spoke softer. "You know Olivia would never want to hurt her. She's a good kid."

Irene looked at Liz for a moment and then to the floor, she sighed and looked back to her sister-in-law. "I know she's not going to hurt her. I like Olivia, she's a great person and I'm glad Alex has a good young role model to follow and admire. But I can't help myself from being against a real relationship going between them happening right now. Alex is a kid, my kid. Being with someone who's twenty-four is not what a sixteen-year-old should do." Irene said and the door opened letting both Alex and Olivia in as they exchanged their gazes.

"Then let's hope you're wrong and the only thing between them is a good friendship." Liz told Irene trying to calm her and reminded herself speaking with her niece later. Maybe Alex wouldn't tell her mother about the brunette, but surely she'll talk about Olivia with her favorite aunt.

**There it goes! Hope you'd like it :)**

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	25. The Mood Swings of an Ice Queen

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm so so sorry for making you wait so long! I've been beyond busy and couldn't get the chance to sit down and write all of my ideas. I hope this stops though because I've fell in love with writing this fic and there are so many ideas in my mind I just want to write them down! **

**Thank you all for last chapter's reviews, adds, faves, everything! I hope you like this chapter!**

Concentration was something that Alexandra Cabot did not have the next Monday morning. Her teacher's attempts to make the class entertaining and easy to follow were useless. Alex's mind was far away from that History class. She was mentally replaying the past weekend over and over. What had begun as another regular family meeting had ended up in what she considered to be the best Friday night of her life as she was held and kissed by the woman of her dreams.

The blonde's smile vanished when she remembered the one of the lasts conversations she had had with Olivia two days ago.

_Alex and Olivia had been talking on the phone for the past half an hour. It had been Olivia who'd called the other and though her purpose had been telling the blonde one particular thing, but she hadn't found the guts to tell her yet._

"_Alex…" The brunette said as she resumed her previous laugh._

"_Yes?" She replied a bit worried by the seriousness in Olivia's voice._

"_I called you because I wanted to tell you something." _

"_It's everything okay?" Alex asked even more worried than before._

"_Yeah, it's just…" She sighed. "Your brother called me earlier." Olivia spoke and Alex's facial expressions disappeared. "He wanted to ask me out."_

"_What did you say?" _

_Olivia swallowed at Alex's cold voice. "I told him I wouldn't have dinner with him again…" She responded but Alex sensed there was something she wasn't being told. _

"_But?" The blonde asked._

"_But after he insisted I agree to meet him for coffee in an hour, which makes it in half an hour considering we've been talking for almost 30 minutes." Olivia said the last words hoping to lighten the mood a little but it was senseless._

"_Why on Earth would you accept his offer?" Alex yelled to the phone. _

"_Alex, wait, let me explain."_

"_Oh, you better have a hell of an explanation." The blonde said and waited for Olivia's response._

_The brunette sighed on the other line. "I just felt bad for him. When I first agree to have dinner with Phillip it was only because I was upset with you for having a date. When he called me I felt sorry for him, I think I own him a real date." Olivia cursed herself, that didn't go out like she wanted to. She tried to correct her words but Alex was faster._

"_Oh, so you're calling me to let me know you're going on a real date with my brother? Thank you, that's really comforting." Alex snapped._

"_You know that's not what I tried to say." Olivia attempted to reason with Alex._

"_Whatever, Olivia. Have fun on your date." The blonde hung up the phone and Olivia threw hers without a marked destination._

Though Alex's smile had vanished as she remembered their conversation, her grin reappeared as she unconsciously stroked her new 'bracelet' and thought about what had happened right after the fight.

"_It's open." Alex yelled to whoever was knocking her bedroom's door as she closed the book she was reading. She looked up to see Olivia getting in and closing the door softly. She huffed."You should be having coffee with my brother, remember? Your date?" The blonde coldly said, making emphasis on the last word, as she took her book and opened it again. _

_Olivia got closer and put her hand over Alex's book. "I told him there was a nice place near here so I'll pick him up as an excuse to talk with you. It took me fifteen minutes but I convinced him. I arrived immediately and he wasn't ready yet." She moved her hand to the one Alex's was using to keep the book in place._

_The blonde closed the object in an instant. "Then you better wait for him outside." She stood up and walked to her bedroom door._

"_Alex, please." Olivia begged and the teenager fixed her feet on the floor with her arms crossed over her chest and fierce blue eyes on brown ones. "I own Phillip a real date because I didn't even finish having dinner with him. I walked out of the restaurant as soon as he started saying he didn't supported you for the person you are. But the real reason why I am going out with him again is because I want to change that. I want to get him to support you just like the rest of your family does." Olivia saw Alex half smiling as she slowly walked towards her._

"_That's mission impossible, you know?" The blonde said._

_Her former guard sighed and nodded. "It really seems like it, doesn't it?" She made a pause. "Why is he so different from the rest of you?" Olivia asked Alex who dropped her look. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, he's your brother after all and you love him."_

"_No, it's not that." Alex looked back to Olivia. "When he was a kid, my father thought it would be a great experience for his child to be educated in another country, as a pupil. Somehow, he convinced my mother, so they sent him away to some private school. When he finished Junior High my parents wanted to bring him back, but he asked them to let him stay. His values are the ones he was taught to have." Alex sighed. "That's something my parents truly regret. But he's a really good guy; he just lives in another era. And he's an amazing big brother when he's not judging my sexuality."_

"_I'm sorry he doesn't accept you." Olivia said and squeezed Alex's hand. The blonde half smiled to her. "I don't want you to ever feel like you're not meant to be who you are. I've been your age and it really sucks to hear so many people telling you it's a phase." She looked to the floor and then back to Alex. "At least when you're older they tell you you're mentally ill." She joked and smiled when she heard Alex's soft laugh. "I want you to remember you are not crazy or sick." The brunette said with a much more serious voice and slipped her hand in her jacket's pocket. "And I want you to have something that will help you remember that." She took her hospital wristband out of the pocket and felt Alex's low laughter. "Yeah, I know it's not jewelry and I know that I didn't get this by a joyful event; but I was using this wristband the first time I let myself enjoy how beautiful and perfect you are. I want you to never forbid yourself from doing that; from seeing how wonderful you are in the way you are."_

_Alex smiled and looked into Olivia's eyes. "And I thought Casey was the crazy one of you two." She joked and leaned over the brunette to kiss her. "Thank you and I'm sorry for acting like a bitch, I should know you had real reasons for going out with my brother." She said as Olivia hooked the now bracelet to her wrist._

"_You're sixteen. You're supposed to act like a bitch. And I should have told you the real reason from the beginning. Talking about that… I'm gonna check if he's ready, don't wanna make Prince Charming wait too long." Olivia joked and after kissing Alex one more time she disappeared._

The blonde laughed as she saw the wristband on her arm. She had placed it just below her sleeve so no one could see it, but her fingers couldn't stop playing with it. Olivia's 'date' with Phillip had been as unsuccessful as she had predicted, but she didn't care. In fact, she didn't care she had gone out with him anymore; the brunette's gesture had been too sweet for her to care about anything else.

Thankfully for Alex, her class finished in a couple of minutes more. She left her classroom and felt her phone ringing. "Hello?" Alex picked it up that Monday morning as she walked down her school's hallway.

"Hi, honey!" She heard her aunt's voice at the other line and smiled. Alex loved her aunt Liz; with Alex being the first baby girl brought to the family Liz had spoiled her since day one and Liz had also been the first person Alex had come out to. "I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me today. It's been a while since we spent some quality time together."

"Sure, I'd love to." Alex said excited and set up a time and place for their meeting.

A few periods later, the young blonde found herself at the informal restaurant her aunt had picked. The place was near her school, so Alex had enough time for eating and chatting before returning for her next classes. She smiled as she walked down the hallway and saw Liz concentrated on her menu. The older woman was surprised when she felt her niece's voice greeting her. "Oh, hi Alex. I didn't hear you coming."

The blonde took a seat in front of her aunt. "You were pretty involved with that menu." She giggled. "Anything that looks good to you?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll order the same Caesar salad I always do and never get tired of." Liz smiled to Alex and waited for the younger woman to decide what to eat and order. She let Alex take charge of the conversation for a while and eagerly listened how the girl's school day was going.

As soon as their meals had arrived she mentioned the brunette's name for the first time. "How is Olivia's injury?" She asked and took a sip from her drink.

Alex swallowed her food and responded. "She's starting physical rehab today so I'll let you know later." The teenager offered little information and hoped her aunt will drop the subject, but it didn't seem like she'll do it.

"Are you going with her?" Liz inquired and Alex's eyes widely opened while her jaw did the same and quickly got closed again.

"Why would I?" Alex asked and begun questioning herself of why had she accept to have lunch with her aunt.

Liz looked to her niece and tried to connect their gazes. "Oh, I thought you were friends. You seem to be so close… I think I just assumed."

Alex looked to her plate. "It's not like that either. We're close..." _Oh that's great Cabot, why don't you tell her you love Olivia? _The blonde thought and wanted to smack herself for making such a stupid comment but she continued her speech anyway. "But I don't know if she'd like me to go with her."

"I see." Liz pretended to drop the subject and took a few bites from her meal. Alex silently sighed in relief but just as she did so her aunt spoke again. "So you _are_ friends?" The older woman's eyebrow curved.

"Yeah… I guess, sort of." Alex nervously said and Liz exploded in laughter. "What's so funny?" The blonde questioned.

"Oh, C'mon sweetie! I've seen the way you devour her with your eyes." Liz told her still laughing.

Alex significantly blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about." She looked back to her food and resumed eating.

"Honey, it's okay. You have every right to like Olivia. She's a beautiful young woman. I'd be worried if you didn't have a crush on her." Liz kindly told her niece and smirked a little bit when she saw Alex's hand rubbing something underneath the girl's shirt and failing at the attempt of hiding her action below the table. "You know I can perfectly see that, don't you?"

Alex sighed in frustration and looked to her aunt. "Can we just please drop the subject?" She begged.

Liz shook her head with a kind smile on her face. "Why don't we talk about it? It's been a long time since we've had our last girls talk."

The older woman said those words and Alex gave up. After all, it was her aunt she was talking with. And Elizabeth Cabot was the most stubborn woman on Earth. "Okay. You're right, I do like Olivia. Are you satisfied?" Alex tried to say her commentary as if it didn't matter to her.

Liz's grin turned bigger as she saw her niece's reaction and the Cabot lady waited a moment to speak. "Wow. You _really _like her, don't you?"

Alex sighed and looked down to her hands. "Yeah. I do." She said sincerely. "Can we drop it now? Please?"

The girl's aunt smiled as she accomplished her first goal and whispered before going back to her meal. "Sure."

Both women continued their lunch but Liz noticed how upset her niece had gotten because of their conversation topic. _She used to love talking with me about girls… and that was less than six months ago. _She thought as she saw how Alex angrily stabbed her food. She then thought about saying something or telling her niece she was sorry, but it would only get Alex angrier.

After lunch, the blonde teenager returned to the school for her last periods. She walked through the hallway with her guard following behind and furiously opened her locker.

Alex didn't know why she was so mad at her aunt. It was Liz's natural behavior. She always talked with her about whom she had a crush on… but maybe that was the deal. She didn't have a crush on Olivia, she loved her; and she couldn't even tell her aunt about it. That was what she was mad about, but it didn't matter though. She would have to keep lying to her loved ones for a long time.

Alex loudly smashed her locker's door to close it. She thought that would be a good way of letting her anger go away, but it didn't work. "Hey, what's wrong?" She heard Maura's voice from behind.

"It's nothing." Alex replied dryly as she started to walk away with her guard and the light-brown haired girl following.

"Alex, stop." Maura took her by the wrist and make their gazes connect. "I'm worried about you. Your moods had been changing extremely quickly these past weeks and though it is expected for a teenager to be like that I've done some research and yours had been too extreme and too fast."

"I'm not up for your science lessons, Maura." Alex snapped and freed her wrist from Maura's hand. "Just back off." She said and walked away with her guard without listening to her friend's pleads.

As she walked down the hallway, Alex easily started to regret every word she had said but there was no way she was going to go back and beg for forgiveness. The blonde strutted to her next classroom cursing at her pride, her aunt and maybe even at one of her best friends.

Alex felt her eyes watering and closed them fast. She couldn't cry. Not in front of the entire school, not in front of her this week's guard, not without Olivia's arms holding her.

* * *

><p>Maura stared at Alex speechless as she walked away. She had tried to help her friend and she wouldn't even listen to her.<p>

Alex had been ignoring her for the past weeks. The blonde didn't nearly talked with her anymore. _It's not like she's actually talking with anybody at school. _Maura thought but discarded the commentary, it didn't matter what was Alex's relationship like with the rest of the world; Alex was Maura's friend and she shouldn't be pushing her away when she needed her the most.

"There goes the Ice Queen." Maura overheard someone saying as Alex passed near them.

_Maybe she's a real Ice Queen inside..._

__**So what do you think? Like it, Love it, Hate it? I WANNA KNOW! **

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	26. Fighting

**A/N: I never thought I said this, but I hate school. I hate it for not leaving me enough time to write. I'm so sorry for the long waiting, I'm doing my best guys! Thank you all for reviewing and adding the story to faves and alerts... by the way, the fic reached the 100 alerts! yay! thank you so much and I hope that once next week had past I'll have more time to write and upload the story. Hope you like this chapter!**

Alex dryly said goodbye to her guard and walked straight to her bedroom. Once she was there, the blonde threw herself over the bed and stared at the ceiling for endless minutes.

She realized how different her relationships with her new guards were from the one she had with Olivia when the brunette was her guard. With her, Alex knew she had someone she could trust next to her; and even before falling for the older woman she trusted Olivia. But that trust bond wasn't even near to what it was like with all the other guards. Alex didn't trust any of them. Sure, they were all nice people and she was sure they would protect her but she couldn't help but to feel tense when she was besides them.

Since Olivia had been shot Alex had practically stopped going out. She didn't want to spent time with her friends if someone was behind them every second; it was annoying. Every time she wanted to meet someone she would ask them to meet at her house, which was also pretty annoying. Alex wanted to go out and have some fun but what fun was it if you were being watched by some guard your father had chosen?

The image of Maura came to Alex's mind. It was true that Alex hadn't been the dearest friend those past weeks, but it wasn't like she had been on her best days either. Maura should be supportive with her instead of demanding her attention, right?

Alex sighed and closed her eyes failing at her attempt to sleep. She waited an unknown thing for a couple of minutes and then took her phone and absently went through her photo albums. Her smile appeared as she found one particular picture. It had been taken the third week Olivia had been her guard. On the photograph, the brunette was standing alone, with her gaze stuck on the horizon. Alex had caught Olivia daydreaming and she had teased her about it during long hours.

Suddenly, the blonde's smile disappeared again and she hurriedly checked the time. She silently cursed as she confirmed her guess; Olivia had left her first rehab session over two hours ago. Alex dialed the brunette's number and impatiently waited for her to pick up.

"I was wondering when you were going to call." Olivia cockily said on the other line and Alex relaxed her rushed tension.

"I'm sorry. Didn't realized what time it was. How did it go?" She asked.

"Great, truly great. Greater than what I thought it'll be." Alex heard Olivia's excitement and grinned.

"That's…. great!" She laughed. "What did they say exactly?"

"They think it's gonna be a full recovery and a quick one, I'll be fine in a little over a week."

"Oh my god, Liv! That's amazing!"

"I know. I'll finally be able to properly hold you." Alex melted with Olivia's commentary and drowned herself into her own daydreaming. In just a few days she'd say goodbye to all her guards and have Olivia next to her just like it should have always been. "Hey, are you there?" The brunette asked when Alex didn't respond.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking how happy I'm gonna be with you behind me all day again, I cannot stand these guys anymore." The blonde said.

"Alex, about that…" Olivia begun and the younger woman tensed up. "I don't know if I'll be your guard again."

"If you're worried about Cragen placing you somewhere else, don't worry. I just have to ask him to set you back with me and—"

"It's not that, baby." Olivia interrupted. "I don't know if I can be your guard anymore. We both know I'm way too involved."

"Shouldn't that be better? Who's gonna care more about my safety than you?" Alex's voice broke.

"Alex, I don't know. I'm scared of doing the wrong thing. If something happens, I won't be thinking straight and if you get hurt because of that I will never forgive myself."

"Can't we give it a try at least?" The blonde said. "Please, I just want to spend time with you. I can't go anywhere because I'll have a guard with me and you can't come to my house every day or my parents will start to suspect." Alex wiped a tear she didn't knew she had dropped and after a few moments of silence she continued. "I hate this." She whispered.

"I know. I hate this too, but it is only temporary. Remember that."

"Temporary?" Alex cried out. "My seventeenth birthday might be in a few weeks but I'm not finishing high school until next year! It's hard enough handling it for a weekend; how am I supposed to do it for a whole year?"

Olivia remained silent after Alex's words and the blonde followed her. The older woman sighed and rethought her decision of not being Alex's guard after her recovery. Olivia silently cursed the blonde's age and finally spoke. "I'll ask to be your guard again." She felt Alex relief's on the other line. "But if I believe I won't be able to properly protect you, please tell me you won't argue me and that you'll accept my choice of not guarding you."

"I'll do my best." Alex said with a smile on her face. "Thank you." She spoke relieved.

Olivia slightly smiled. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Alex said without even believing it herself.

"I got worried when you didn't call me as soon as I was out rehab. You asked me nearly a thousand times at what time it'll be over." Olivia spoke trying to let Alex continue relating.

"My mind was a little bit off." She told Olivia, hiding all the events that had happened that day. "When am I going to see you again?"

The blonde changed the topic and it didn't go unnoticed by the brunette. Thankfully, she'll have the chance of taking it up again later.

* * *

><p>"So?" Irene impatiently asked her sister-in-law as soon as she arrived to the woman's house and left her guard standing behind the kitchen's door.<p>

Liz had sensed Alex's feelings for the brunette were deeper than a simple teenage crush, but there was no way she would say that to the girl's mother without her niece's permission. Elizabeth Cabot had principles and one of them was respecting other people's lives, thoughts and choices; including her own niece. That was probably the reason why she felt so badly after she said half of the true to Irene. "So, yes, she does have a crush. But I still don't see why that matters. Let the girl have as many crushes as she wants to. She's a teenager." Liz said trying to calm Irene down.

"That's exactly what I'm scared of. She's a _teenager. _She doesn't think before acting. What if Olivia rejects her and she drowns herself into depression and hurting herself? Or worst, what if Olivia feels the same way and Alex forces her to accept it and pushes her until Olivia ends up thinking it's the right thing?"

"If Olivia feels the same way, it would be the right thing for her to accept it." Liz firmly told Irene who glared at her. "But as I told you, don't worry. It's just a crush; she'll be over it in a month." The older woman said casually.

"You better be right."

* * *

><p>Alex sat on her desk, attempting to ignore Maura's presence a few feet away. The blonde spent the entire class with her eyes stuck on the board but her mind flying free. She could feel Maura's gaze over her, pleading her to say sorry; but there was no way Alex would be the one who'll say it first. Maura had started it, Maura should end it. That was how it should be.<p>

As the bell announced the end of the first Tuesday period, Alex quickly grabbed her stuff and walked to her locker with her chin high. The blonde could hear her friend's foot steps behind her. She smirked and turned around before reaching her destiny. "May I help you?" She said with a distant voice.

Maura looked at Alex and analyzed her reaction. She hadn't spoken nicely to her; she didn't regret anything she had done or said. The petite girl stood silently in front of the tall one. Maura couldn't believe how far Alex's pride will take her. She knew it wasn't easy to make her apologize, everyone at school knew that. Alex Cabot wasn't the type of girl who showed her feelings, whether they were good or not. She'd express you her ideas and thoughts, but never tell you how she's doing.

Though, Maura had hoped that the blonde would swallow her pride and fear and ask her for forgiveness in order to recover their friendship. She had hoped that at least she'd be that important for Alex, but it didn't seem like.

Maura looked straight to her friend and with hurt and anger in her voice she spoke; she spoke and said the words that had been running through her head for weeks. "You know, you're not the only one here who has bad days. I've had my worst ones a few weeks ago and even though that you weren't there for me; I've been here for you when you needed me, because that's what friends do, Alex. They support each other, they care for each other, they might have millions of fights but they are always there holding each other's back. I made up excuses for you not realizing I wasn't doing okay, but you know what? I was also hurting, and I did notice you weren't okay. Why should I be the only one who gives a damn about her friend?" She told Alex and deeply breathed. "If our friendship has any value for you, I hope you'll change your attitude by tomorrow's lunch period." That said, she turned around and begun walking the well known path to her own locker.

Alex stood there in silence and without showing any emotions. What was Maura had been through? Had she truly been so focused on her own life she hadn't noticed one of her best friends' eyes red after crying? What kind of friend does that? _What kind of friend am I? _Alex wondered as she saw Maura disappearing in the sea of students.

Hours later, Alex found herself in a position she knew well enough at the point. She was laying over her bed, strictly staring to the ceiling and simply thinking. She couldn't stop thinking. Were her actions right or had she screwed everything up with a dear friend? Should be her the one who apologized first? Should be Maura? The young woman questioned herself during a long time until she heard a knock on her door. "Come in." She said without enthusiasm.

Irene entered and gently closed the door before sitting beside her older daughter. "What are you doing?" She motherly asked.

"Thinking." The blonde responded her.

"About?"

"Stuff." Alex replied still without showing any particular emotions.

"So you're playing the teenager's role. Okay, I'll play the mother's." Irene thought it'll be easier to make Alex open up to her with a little of humor. "It's about a girl?" She asked half joking half serious. Maybe this was her chance to discover something about her daughter's crush.

"Yes. But not in that way." Alex told her mother and changed her position so she'll be sitting on the bed instead of laying.

"In which way is it then?" The older woman remained her voice sweet as she spoke.

Alex sighed and finally looked to her mom. "Maura and I fought." She said. "And I think she's right. But it's not fair! I know I haven't been the dearest friend but it's not like I've been spending my time playing in a daisies field. I had the worst of my times! She should understand what I'm going through!" The blonde said and noticed how she had consciously omitted what Maura had told her about having a bad time also herself.

"Why don't you call her and ask her to come? I'm sure that if you two sit down and speak about this she'll understand." Irene proposed and Alex considered the idea. "You can invite her to spend the night; we already have one guest for dinner so another one won't hurt us." The older woman said and Alex looked at her confused.

"Who's coming?" She asked.

"Oh, didn't she tell you? Your father told me what the doctors said about Olivia's injure so I thought it would be nice to invite her and celebrate." Irene said and saw how her daughter's eyes opened at the mention of the brunette. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, I assumed she had called you."

Her mother spoke and Alex recognized Irene's way of speaking… Liz had used the same one the day before when she had asked about Olivia. Did her mother have her suspicions too? Worst, had her aunt betrayed her? Why was it that everyone was so interested on her relationship with Olivia? They had both been cautious at every moment, what had made their doubts appear?

"No, she didn't." Alex replied casually and looked at a pillow in front of her. "I'm gonna call Maura." She said, trying to make the Olivia topic vanish.

"Okay." Irene said with a soft smile. "I'll be in the kitchen preparing dinner, want to help me?"

"Sure." Alex responded lightly grinning before her mother disappeared.

Now the real thinking came. She didn't want to invite Maura over if Olivia was also coming. If Maura wasn't with her she would get to spend some time alone with the brunette, and considering their relationship that was precious. But she didn't want to talk with Maura at school with her guard behind her, that wasn't a nice idea either.

_Sorry, Liv. _Alex thought as she dialed Maura's phone and invited her to stay over.

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	27. Trying to Vanish the Suspicions

**A/N: Oh God, I'm such a horrible person for not updating this story in over a week! So sorry for the delay guys! Hope you like this chapter!**

Alex heavily sighed as she waited for Maura to pick up her phone. After long moments, Alex finally heard the dial tone had vanished. "Hi." The blonde said and a few silent seconds pasted until she received an answer.

"Hi." Maura said awkwardly.

"I've been thinking and…" Alex sighed again. _This is harder than what I thought it would be._ "I think I owe you some explanations but mainly I want you to know how sorry I am. And I'm up to listen to everything you want to say to me, the good and the bad things." She didn't say anything else for a moment, thinking Maura might want to add something, but when that didn't happen she continued. "Do you want to have dinner and spend the night at my house?" Alex asked Maura, hoping her friend would accept her offer.

"Sure." Maura said and Alex could have sworn she felt her friend's soft smile through the phone. "I'll be there for dinner, we can talk later. Is that okay?"

"It's perfect." Alex told her grinning at the phone, truly happy that she hadn't ruined one of her dearest friendships.

They said their goodbyes and hung up.

Alex sighed in relief. Before calling Maura, the blonde had feared Maura wouldn't accept her apologies and that her friendship might be truly on the red line, but now she was relieved and felt more relaxed. Maura had accepted her invitation and she was coming to her house in a few hours, which remembered Alex about that evening's dinner and the beyond special guest that would be sharing the night with her and her family.

Alex wanted some time with Olivia; she _needed_ some time with her. She needed to feel her close, to feel her lips, to feel her embrace around her, to hear her voice telling her she loved her. But there was no way that was going to happen that night if Maura was also coming for dinner… _'She's coming for dinner, not before.' _Alex realized and immediately took her phone again and texted Olivia.

_ Any chances you can arrive earlier? I can't wait to see you and we won't have time to be alone after dinner _

She save her cellphone inside her jeans' pocket and walked to the kitchen where her mother had already started cooking.

"What can I help you with?" Alex asked her mom who was washing some vegetables.

Irene smiled as she looked up to see her daughter. "Just pour some water in the pot and let me know when it boils." The younger woman nodded and complied. She then walked a few more steps and informally stood next to her mother. "Is Maura coming?" Irene asked.

"Yeah, we'll talk after dinner." Alex heard her phone ringing as she replied. She took it out of her pocket and read Olivia's text trying to slightly hide the screen from her mother's gaze.

_ Then I'll be there in a couple of minutes. I can't wait to see you too! _

Alex smiled as she read the text, Irene on the other hand pretend as if she hadn't been able to read it but memorized every word of it. "That's her?" Irene asked knowing it wasn't Maura who had sent the message.

The blonde returned to reality with her mother's voice and instantly save her phone back on her phone. "No. It's Liv. She's coming earlier." Alex noticed the look on Irene's face at the mention of Olivia's nickname and made up an excuse for their early meeting. "I was telling her about a Spanish assignment and she offered to help me with it. Her Spanish is amazing." That was a horrible excuse and Alex knew it but she said it as credibly as she could to keep her mother's suspicions away.

Irene simply nodded and pointed her daughter the water was already boiling. Alex reached for the stove and uncovered the pot, setting the fire low. Her mother instructed what to do next and she followed her commands.

The pair of women cooked in a tense silence until the bell rang announcing Olivia's arrival. Without wasting one more minute, Alex walked to the sink and quickly washed her hands. "We'll be at my room if you need anything." She said as she simultaneously took the cloth and dried herself. "Good luck with the cooking." Alex kissed her mother's cheek and disappeared from the kitchen before Irene could say anything.

She made her way to the door without running but with a straight pace. The blonde was surprised as she realized Olivia was already inside the house. "Hey." Alex soft and charmingly said as she gave a quick hug to the brunette. Olivia greeted her back and took the younger woman's hand into her own. She led both pairs of feet to Alex's bedroom with a smirk on her face.

Olivia knew it was risky to walk with Alex by her hand but she felt as if she couldn't let it go. She only released Alex's pale hand to grab the door's knob and open it.

The two women got inside the room and as soon as the door was closed again, Alex felt Olivia's warm embrace around her. "I missed you." The brunette whispered looking right into the blue eyes in front of her. Without waiting for a response she begun dropping a trail of sweet kisses going from the blonde's collarbone, up to her neck and caressed her jaw line. Though Olivia's lips finished their trip on Alex's pale pink cheek, they didn't back off more than maybe just half an inch.

"Well, I missed you more." Alex said playfully when she recovered herself from the effect Olivia's light but powerful kisses had on her. She hooked her hands behind Olivia's neck and made their noses touch each other.

Smiling at the young woman's playfulness, Olivia continued dropping kisses through Alex's skin. Resuming the path she had previously taken, she kissed the other woman's neck again. "You left me worried yesterday. You sounded pretty upset and you didn't tell me what it was about." She spoke with a low voice that made Alex's core slowly start to blaze but, at the same time, showed her care and deep love.

Olivia heard her own words and wondered how she ended up synchronizing them with her current actions. That was definitely not the way she had planned to bring the topic up but as soon as she had smell Alex's scent she had been unable to keep her hands off the young blonde. Olivia was taken away from her thoughts and attempts of reasoning when she felt Alex's fingers stroking her dark hair and heard a low, almost imperceptible moan.

Instinctively, Olivia used her hand to leisurely get the blonde locks of hair out of her way. She caught Alex's earlobe between in her mouth and started teasing it with her tongue, slightly biting and sucking it.

Alex unconsciously moaned again and lowered her hands to embrace Olivia's hips. "And I'm never gonna tell you what it was about if you keep doing that." She said and the brunette stopped her actions letting a big amount of air out.

Olivia rested her head on Alex's neck for a moment until she spoke. "You're right." She kissed the blonde's neck one more time and stood straight again. "And I do want to know about it, but it's not my fault if you drive me crazy, Alexandra." The brunette said those words losing herself in the bright blue eyes in front of her. "You're so beautiful."

Alex only smiled and leaned over to kiss Olivia. Their lips met slowly, taking their own paces and wanting to know and remember every little detail about the other. Alex opened her mouth and let Olivia's tongue explore its inside.

They would have remained in their positions for long hours, but Alex overheard a voice talking on the hallway and immediately broke the kiss. "Fuck!" The teenager muttered as she desperately looked for her Spanish book.

Before she knew it, Olivia found herself sitting on top of Alex's bed with the blonde's book opened in a random page. "You're helping me with these exercises." The blonde whispered and the brunette nodded just at the same time the door was knocked. "Come in." Alex said as casually as she could to the person at the other side.

"Hi, Olivia." Irene gently greeted the young woman when she entered. Her smile nearly vanished when she noticed that though Alex's book was next to both women there wasn't a pencil anywhere near. "How's the Spanish going?" She asked and didn't surprise when her daughter was the one to speak first.

"Great. Now I know why _la pluma es roja_ and not _la pluma es rojos_" Alex said with a smile and Olivia decided to make a commentary.

"If I could only get her to pronounce it correctly…" The brunette sighed and gave a helpless look to Irene who didn't laugh out loud and remained with the same half smiled since she'd got inside the room.

"Oh, I wish you the best of lucks, Olivia." Irene said. "Well, if you don't need anything I'm going back to the kitchen." She told both women and with an exchange of nods, the older lady left her daughter's bedroom.

The door closed and Alex sighed, carelessly throwing her upper body against the bed. "That was close." She mumbled, relieved.

"You told her I was coming earlier to give you Spanish lessons?" Olivia asked without a particular tone of voice that could have easily lead Alex to know what she was thinking.

"Yeah." The blonde responded gazing her bed's covers. "I needed an excuse. I think she knows something." She confessed but didn't seek for Olivia's eyes.

"What?" Olivia instantly demanded Alex to repeat her words, not wanting to believe them.

"I believe she has her suspicions… about us. And that she's not the only one who has them. Both my mom and my aunt had been questioning me about you." Alex could already feel the older woman's body tensed up and remained motionless, trying to analyze what she'd just said. She reached for Olivia's hand and squeezed it.

Little days had passed since they had openly admitted her feelings to each other and let themselves enjoy what they had. How could they know already? They had been cautious, they had kept distance in public, only sharing gazes exchanges and casual conversations. What could have Irene and Liz sensed?

Olivia stared at her hand beneath Alex's. She had fallen for the younger woman in such a short time, Olivia couldn't believe she had let herself do so; but it had been so easy and felt so right. Why was everything starting to fall apart now? Why now that she had chosen to be happy with Alex?

Liv looked at Alex's bright blue eyes and spoke. "How much do they know?" She asked Alex, hoping it wouldn't be enough to tear them apart.

"I don't know." Alex said in a whisper, nearly crying as she heard Olivia's broken voice. "My aunt thinks is a teenage crush and she teases me with it…. My mother, she didn't mention it. But I know that at least she thinks I have a crush on you. What I'm not aware of it is if they know how deep my feelings for you are or about them being mutual."

Olivia listened to every word Alex said and she had to assume that she was scared to death. The idea of losing the blonde after just a few days killed her. _Don't even think about it, Olivia. Nothing bad is going to happen. _"We're gonna be fine." Olivia said, more trying to convince herself than to comfort the young blonde beside her.

Alex sighed. "I hope so." She replied. Alex could feel Olivia's scare and want it away. "They only have some suspicions, nothing else." She said and placed her hand on top of hers and Olivia's that were already tied.

Olivia felt both of Alex's hands and endlessly stared at the bright eyes that were looking at her. The brunette's heart smiled as brown met blue. Every fear and worry disappeared at the same moment Olivia's gaze met Alex's.

Olivia was scared, and she knew Alex was it too, but there was no way she could ever live another day without seeing those eyes. Olivia swore to herself that she'll never resign what they had built, that she'll never let Alex go. "Even if they ever discover us, I'll fight for you." The brunette told the blonde without hesitation. "I won't let anyone tear us apart." She promised Alex, not breaking the strong connection between their looks. "We only need to be careful for a little while, until they forget about it."

Alex nodded and got closer to Olivia. The older woman let the blonde's hands go and broadened the space between her arm and ribcage, making enough space for Alex to lean on her. The teenager cuddled against Olivia and tightly held onto her.

Both women remained silent for long minutes; only feeling the pleasure of each other's warm embrace. Olivia placed a kiss over Alex's head and nuzzled before kissing it again. "So what was your sadness about?" The brunette tried to change the topic.

Alex sighed and pulled back from Olivia so she would be able to see the brown gaze. "Maura and I fought. She's coming tonight and we'll talk about it after dinner."

"And you'll be able to survive dinner?" The brunette asked honestly caring but teasingly raising one of her eyebrows anyways. The younger woman shrugged. "You won't." Olivia stated and quickly resumed her speech without giving Alex a sufficient amount of time to say objection. "I'll leave you two alone as soon as she arrives so you can talk in private."

"That's not why I asked you to come earlier!" The 16-year-old protested. "Maura will probably spend the night here; we'll have plenty of time to talk. That's not the case with our relationship and you know it."

Olivia smiled and thought about how cute the younger blonde looked when she pouted.

"I prefer losing a few minutes with you than risking myself to have dinner with two teenagers as eloquent as the two of you are fuming against each other. It would be masochistic." She teased.

Alex laughed. "Not so brave after all, huh?"

"Oh, no. I am brave; I'm just not stupid." Olivia heard the bell announcing Maura's arrival. "That's why as soon as she reaches that door I'm leaving." She said pointing to Alex's bedroom door.

The blonde sighed. "Okay." She said unenthusiastically. "I'm gonna check if someone let her in or she's still freezing outside. Are you coming?" Alex stood up and asked to the lying brunette. Olivia left the bed and before answering she pulled the younger woman into a sweet kiss.

"I am now." She smiled enchantingly and opened the door for Alex. "After you, Miss Cabot."

* * *

><p>After witnessing an awkward greeting between Alex and Maura, Olivia excused herself and gave some time alone to the two teenage friends.<p>

As she disappeared from the girls' gazes Olivia decided to go help Irene with the cooking. After all, that was the polite thing to do and might help her to make the older woman's suspicions vanish.

"Can I be of any help to you?" Olivia friendly asked Irene as she entered to the kitchen.

"You gave up teaching Spanish to my daughter?" The blonde woman raised an eyebrow and continued doing her previous task.

Olivia snickered.

"Hardly. Maura arrived so I thought it was better to give them some time alone."

Irene nodded unconsciously. "She told you about their fight?"

"Yeah. They were going to speak after dinner; I tried to save us all from having a quarrel during the meal."

Irene smiled to Olivia. "Smart woman." She made a small pause. "I wouldn't mind using some help to set the table. The dishes are over there." Irene said, pointing to a counter a few steps away from them.

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	28. Apologizing

**A/N: I'm sorry for how short this chapter is but I didn't want to make you wait any longer so I decided to upload this part only. Thanks to you all for the patience, adds, faves and reviews! Hope you like this chapter!**

Maura awkwardly entered to Alex's room and went straight to her usual place on the right side of the blonde's bed edge. Her gaze immediately traveled to her friend's blue eyes and remained tied to them. Maura wanted Alex to begin the talking; after all, she had been the one who had called.

Alex paced in front of Maura for a few moments. The taller teenager considered all the options she had and took her time to decide which one was the best to start her speech.

She could directly asked Maura what was going on with her and make her respond a question that had been on Alex's mind since the petite girl had brought the issue up: What was the reason of Maura's own suffering? On the other hand, Alex could began telling Maura about her own problems and everything that had happened after the shooting—of course that meant letting her friend know about Olivia and for the blonde that was an immediate reason to discard that option. — But then, another idea appeared on Alex's mind; an idea she considered the most appropriate one: apologizing. So after making Maura wait for endless minutes, Alex stop avoiding her eyes and looked at her sincerely.

"I'm sorry." She simply said. "I'm sorry I've been off. I have no real excuse for that. We all have our own problems and I hadn't realized it until today."

"I know." Maura told her. "I just wish you had thought about what was going on with me instead of only thinking about your issues."

Alex sighed and dropped her look to the carpeted floor. "Well, after all, my social skills do suck, you know that." Alex added a joke, trying to lighten up the mood a little bit. "I know I haven't been the greatest friend and I feel so bad for not being able to notice that I wasn't the center of the universe." The young blonde's eyes rose and looked to Maura's. "I feel like a real bitch for not being there for you." Alex saw her friend's comprehensive gaze and continued. "What happened?" She asked the question that had been running through her head for long hours.

Maura answered Alex's question quickly. "Oh, it's nothing bad actually. The worst part of it was the shock caused by the news and how dumb I feel for my initial reaction. But I'll be okay. I am okay." She said.

"Okay. I'm glad to hear that - but what happened?" Alex asked again, somehow relieved by her friend's response but still wondering what was going on in Maura's life.

"My parents are not my biological parents." The young girl said casually, with the same voice she would use to explain things like the anatomy of a Trypanosome Cruzi.

Maura's parents had spoken to her a week ago. She had cried and refused speaking to them for a couple of hours, but after doing some thinking on her own she quickly realized how wrong her actions were. Why should she be mad at her parents for trying to give her the things her biological parents had refused? It certainly wasn't their fault. The only thing they were responsible of was being good, loving and caring parents to her. Maura loved her parents; they were her real parents, without genetics mattering.

Alex stayed in silence for a moment, without knowing what to say to her friend. She was ashamed she had been so engrossed in her own life that she hadn't noticed any changes in Maura's behavior after her parents' confession. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you received the news. I should have been there." Alex apologized again.

"It's okay, Al. I'm sure that even if everything had been alright between us I wouldn't have let you to notice any changes in me. Remember my social skills suck as much as yours do." Maura smiled to one of her dearest friends.

Alex smiled back to Maura, thrilled that their friendship hadn't been lost. "Do you know who your biological parents are?" She asked going back to the topic.

Maura shook her head. "No and I don't think I want to know it, at least not now. My parents are my real parents. I don't care about the people that gave me my hair color and then abandoned me." Alex slightly nodded.

"I'm glad to hear that. If someday you wake up and realize you wanna look for them, I want you to know that I'll support your decision and I'll help you finding them. You're my best friend Maura. I'm not planning on ruining that again."

Alex reached out and hugged Maura tightly. "Hum, Alex, I love you too but you're blocking the entrance of air to my lungs which is causing my asphyxiation." Maura told her after a few moments and Alex freed her laughing.

"Sorry." She said and both girls heard Alex's stomach growling. "Let's go eat. I think someone is asking for food." Alex joked and stood up.

"Actually, it's your intestines and not your stomach that make that noise when they quiver and it can be also that it's working to churn and digest." Maura explained Alex.

Alex started laughing. "Maura; I missed _you, _not your facts." She said as she dragged Maura out of her bedroom.

"You can't blame me for trying to expand your knowledge." Alex overheard Maura protesting but continued accomplishing her mission as they headed straight to the dining room.

**Well, I used part of the actual Rizzoli & Isles storyline here but I don't think I'm gonna go farther than this with it.**

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	29. A Complex 'Couple'

**A/N: Hi there! I'm really sorry for the prolonged delay on my updates! I'll do my best to write faster! Thank you for patiently waiting! Here goes another chapter! Hope you like it!**

Dinner was going better than Alex had expected. Maura and Alex had reached the dining room at the same time her brother and little sister were taking their seats. Both girls had helped setting the final touches to the table and then, without knowing it, Alex found herself trapped in her seat between Maura and Olivia.

The topics of conversation had been light; Olivia had talked about her injure and how she was raring to come back to work. Irene asked Maura about her parents and the young girl politely replied they were fine and would be happy to have the Cabots for dinner someday.

Meanwhile her friend and mother were talking; Alex glanced at Olivia and saw the brunette peacefully taking a sip from her glass of water. The night was going phenomenal, if her mother did have suspicions, she wasn't letting them rule over her interaction with Olivia or anyone else at the table and Alex was thankful for that. Not once had the blonde teenager caught her mother secretly staring at them, trying to catch them in the action.

Though it wasn't the first time Alex ate next to the attractive brunette in front of her family, it was the first time they did it as a couple_. 'Because we are a couple, right?'_ Alex questioned herself. They hadn't established anything formal between them and even if they were a couple they certainly weren't a regular couple. Alex's mind start running faster, submerge in her own thoughts the young woman mediated about their relationship.

Olivia stopped eagerly hearing the anecdote Caleb was telling when she saw the lost gaze on Alex's eyes and her motionless body. She gently placed her hand over the blonde's thigh and sweetly whispered. "You okay?"

Alex slightly shivered as she was brought back to earth by Olivia's touch. She silently nodded and squeezed the brunette's hand in assurance before accommodating herself again, getting the dining chair a little bit closer to the table.

* * *

><p>Liz observed how her sister-in-law, almost desperately, searched a specific file in Thomas's office from her place a few feet apart. "Irene you're acting like a child." The mother-of-four didn't make any commentary. "Why do you want to reread that file so much?"<p>

"I just want to read it closely, maybe there's something I've missed the first time." She said and smiled. "Founded!" Irene raised her hand, displaying the founded object above her head.

The younger woman was about to open the folder when Liz stopped her with a hand over it. "Irene, don't. She deserves better."

"And I do deserve to have all these doubts and questions about their relationship? I want to know for whom my daughter has fallen." Irene said and walked with the file in her hands to the office couch. She sat and crossed her legs before placing the folder over her lap.

"You do know her." Liz told her strongly and without hesitation. "You know she's a lovely woman. Hell! She saved your daughter's life! If my kids had a friend as half as amazing as Olivia is I would be relief, even if they fell for her."

Irene, offended by Liz's words, dropped the file on the couch and stood up with her gaze fix on her sister-in-law's eyes. "Well, certainly Elizabeth, Alexandra is my daughter and not yours. So I'm the one who knows what's better for her; and I know falling for a woman who is already a college graduate while she hasn't even finished her junior year in high school won't be something good for Alex. You can either agree with me or leave; I didn't call you so you could preach me about how to raise my child."

A tense silence invaded the room during the small moments the older woman took to compose her phrase. "You can't raise your child acting like one, Irene." Liz took a step closer to her and used a softer voice the next time she spoke. "Alex is beyond mature for her age and Olivia is an impeccable young woman. They both deserve better from you than invading their privacy like this." Liz excused herself from the room and left the confused younger woman standing in front of the couch she had sat on a few moments earlier.

Irene looked down to the file she had previously placed over the red cushion and took it in her hands. Liz was right, both of them deserved better. She was the adult, she was the one supposed to do the right thing. She should confront the situation and ask what was going on instead of trying to guess.

Irene checked her watch. _10:20pm. _Alex would still be at school for a few more hours but she couldn't wait. She needed to know what was happening in her daughter's life. Irene debated to call Olivia but quickly dismissed the option.

Unconsciously, she started pacing all over her husband's studio with Olivia's file carried by one of her hands. Long minutes passed without Irene having noticed them and after nearly an hour, the mother-of-four decided to make her quest rest at least until Alex's arrival from school.

* * *

><p>"So how was dinner last night?" Casey asked her friend while she took a sip from her coffee and overlooked through the window of the shop they had selected to meet in.<p>

Olivia fixed her gaze down at her mug and caressed it sides. "It was okay." She told her without meeting Casey's eyes.

The redheaded raised an eyebrow. "Olivia." Casey said knowing that her friend was leaving something out of their conversation.

The tall brunette sighed. "Alex thinks her mother knows." She spoke and Casey's brain started thinking and wondering what was Olivia talking about.

_Oh my God. _Casey thought once she had put two and two together. "Olivia Benson you are the worst best friend ever for not telling me you and blondie are in peace and very much in love again." The redheaded said pretending a small quantity of anger. "And that without mentioning the fact that you permitted her mother to know about it before me. I will never forgive you."

Olivia rolled her eyes after Casey's last commentary but then realized that what she was saying was true. Olivia had been so worried about not screwing things up with Alex she hadn't told anything to Casey. "Well, first, I don't think I permitted that; second, I'm sorry. I think I forgot to share the news with you. Would you, Best best friend of all times and eras, please forgive me and my humble self?"

"I doubt so. I told you, I will never forgive you." Casey seriously said and Olivia rolled her eyes one more time.

"Casey! Can we please discuss what's important to discuss?"

The redheaded nodded. "Sure. You and your humble self left one of your shirts at my apartment and it's one of the ones that I actually like so I'm keeping it. It's that okay?" Casey said and Olivia laughed. "It's good to know we agree." She smiled.

Olivia silently thanked Casey and her sense of humor for not letting her mood fall. She drank a few sips from her coffee and wasn't surprised to hear a serious question coming out of her friend's mouth after she did so. It was very Casey-like to go from a joke to a real commentary. "Why does Alex think her mom knows?"

The brunette slightly shook her head. "I have no idea. She knows that her aunt thinks she has a crush on me, so probably her mom thinks that too. But we don't know how they thought about it when everything it's so recent."

"Oh, C'mon. You've been devouring each other with your gazes since you met." Casey said and her friend laughed.

"That's what Alex's aunt said to her." Olivia told Casey half smiling and then her face got more serious.

Casey saw her friend's eyes staring at an unknown point and knew she had lost her attention. She gently took Olivia's hand and squeezed it. "Hey." The redheaded said bring Olivia back from her thoughts. "They're not going to take her away from you. Even if they do, they won't stand her arguments long enough—she's the worst thing that could happen to someone: a female, future-lawyer teenager."

Olivia smile returned and she let Casey's hand go. She thanked her friend with her eyes and continued drinking her hot coffee. "So what happens after your shoulder recovers?" Casey asked Olivia.

"She wants me to be her guard again." She simply stated.

Casey stared at Olivia for a moment, recognizing the lack of enthusiasm her friend was showing. "And you don't want that?"

Olivia shrugged and then sighed. "I don't want to screw things up and get ourselves in a situation that's even more complex than the one we've already got ourselves in." The brunette confessed lowly, almost in a whisper.

"Well, knowing you, you'll probably do it…" Right after she spoke, Casey saw Olivia's glare and paused her teasing for a second. "But also knowing you, you'll probably fix everything you may screw up." The redheaded smiled and laughed at Olivia's serious face.

"You're not funny, you know." The brunette dryly commented.

"But I am serious. You'll make it work. I know you'll do, though it would be great if you had the same confidence in you that I have." Casey saw Olivia avoiding her gaze and taking a sip from her mug and knew it was time to change the topic of conversation.

Olivia did her best to not think about what Casey had said. Though a happy ending was involved in that theory, she didn't want to go through the suffering the road would involve. Who would want to? She was scared. She was scared of losing her job and the hopes of ever returning to the NYPD, of not being able to pay for her mother's treatment; after all, that had been the reason of why she became Alex's guard. But mainly, she was scared of losing the blonde woman she was fighting for. Alex was just a teenager – regardless Olivia wanted to accept it or not– and what made Olivia worry the most was if Alex would do something she'll regret later. Whenever Olivia thought about that the brunette realized that she didn't precisely knew what that something could be; but that was probably also a big part of her worry.

* * *

><p>As soon as she got from school, Alex walked her way straight to her bedroom and loudly closed the door. The teenager let her blonde cascade of hair lay over her bed's pillow and her gaze rested as she closed her eyes.<p>

She had spent the entire morning trying to figure out what she specifically meant to the brunette and what Olivia meant to her. Alex knew Olivia loved her and she didn't even hesitate to admit she loved Olivia but since the previous night a doubt had taken place in her mind during dinner: _What were they exactly?_

The blonde knew it may look old-fashioned to some people, but in her eyes, they weren't girlfriends. Neither of them had asked it to the other one so they weren't in a formal relationship. They weren't dating either. They hadn't even had a date.

But at the same time, Alex knew they were so much more than a fling or someone they were with.

Knock. Knock.

Alex heard someone calling her from behind the door and ignored it. She didn't feel like talking to anyone at that moment and she wasn't going to force a fake smile in her own bedroom. The blonde stood up and grabbed her earplugs, turning on one of her favorite playlists.

_Knock. Knock._

She overheard the knocks again and groaned. "Go away!" Alex yelled in frustration. Her mother opened the door and the teenager rolled her eyes. Alex took one of her earplugs off and looked to Irene. "Mom, I'm having my teenager rebelliousness moment. Please leave the room?" She asked more gently.

"Alexandra Cabot I want you to take those things out of your ears now and listen to me." Irene strictly ordered her daughter.

Alex rolled her eyes one more time and took the other earplug off. "What?" She said reluctantly.

The older woman contemplated her daughter. If she wanted to talk about Alex's relationship with Olivia and get something productive out of that conversation, she wasn't going to make Alex talk at that moment, not when she was on her rebellious time of the month. "I just wanted to ask you if you had homework." Irene spoke knowing her words weren't credible.

Alex recognized the hesitation on her mother's question, but if her mom only wanted that from her for now, she wasn't going to push. "Just a few exercises and some pages to read." She shrugged and took her iPod in her hands; searching for the first song to listen to after her mother had left the room.

"Okay. Then I'm leaving, call me if you need anything." Irene exited her daughter's bedroom as Alex hit the 'Play' button and lost herself in the melody.

Irene closed the door behind her and sighed.

_I hate teenagers._

__**So, what do you think? I would really appreciate some reviews and knowing your points of view on this story. I'm not quite sure where I'm gonna take the plot, I have ideas but I haven't decided anything yet. So if you want to propose your ideas I'm open to hear them! **


	30. The Return

**A/N: I'm sorry! I know it's been forever since my last update! I don't wanna bother you with my excuses so I'm just gonna say sorry and I'll do my best to upload sooner!**

**Hope you like the chapter!**

Irene sighed as she realized how ten days had gone away much quicker than what she had expected, and how she hadn't accomplished the one goal she had been determinate to achieve: Knowing the truth.

Because after several more than just one long talk with herself, Irene knew that was what she wanted first; the truth and nothing but. The blonde mid-aged woman needed the comfort of knowing what was actually happening in her daughter's life.

After the incident with Liz at Thomas' office, Irene had founded herself inside the same situation more times than she'd like to admit. She had nearly got used to sneak into her husband's home office. She would open a drawer and subsequently to a rapid search, she would grab the one she wanted in her hands. Irene could hold Olivia's file for hours, thinking and overthinking, but not once she opened it. The mother-of-four would just save it back into its place and leave the room; sometimes disappointed of herself for being such a coward, other days, praising herself for doing the right thing.

As if her own indecisions weren't enough, Alex had seemed pushing her a little further as the days went on. The teenager spent inside her bedroom almost the double of the time she usually did. Irene could blame hormones – she wanted to blame them— but she couldn't. Her sixth sense loudly yelled at her, telling it was because of Olivia.

Irene now cringed at the simple thought of that name. _Olivia._ She thought again and shivered.

She wondered if she had done the right thing at letting Alex choose her as her guard. The tall brunette had been nothing more than trouble. _That's not true. _Irene told herself. It wasn't Olivia's fault if Alex had fallen for her; it wasn't right to blame her. But what if Olivia did correspond to her daughter's feelings? Was it the brunette's fault then? "Of course it isn't." The mid-aged woman mumbled as she brushed her blonde locks. It couldn't be Olivia's fault to have the same feelings Alex did, but it will be if she listened to them and acted incorrectly because she had followed their instructions.

Irene slightly rubbed her eyes with her palms. She hadn't wanted to think about what kind of relationship were Alex and her guard involved in but she couldn't help it either. For a moment she felt the urgent need of sneaking into her husband's office and taking a look to Olivia's file – just like she had planned innumerable times before. And this attempt ended up just like all the others when Irene discarded her thought instead of actually completing her task this time.

The woman unconsciously studied her own face in the large bathroom mirror. A person could have easily noticed two big bags displaying themselves under Irene's eyes – the same ones that ratified the idea that the mother-of-four hadn't had a deep sleep the night before.

'Why that had happened?' was the question with the most obvious answer in the world. Irene started covering herself with make-up, trying to look as relaxed as possible and to not think about the fact that in less than an hour Olivia would be back on the job as Alex's guard.

_If I only could have the guts to ask Alex instead of trying to guess what is going on. _

Irene sighed as she decided to stop lamenting herself and get ready for what it would probably end up being a day much longer than what she had hoped.

* * *

><p>A few rooms apart, a similar yet different scene was being played by a much younger blonde.<p>

Alex sighed as she combed her long silky hair. She studied her aspect and added some make-up to her face. It had been almost two weeks since the dinner with Olivia and Maura and the same questions that had appeared that night were still on her mind. Alex had tried to ask Olivia about it – to ask her where they were standing in their relationship. But with the little time they got to spend together, the blonde didn't want to ruin a second of it. Although, Olivia had noticed a change in Alex's behavior and she had asked the teenager if she was okay more than once.

But today was the day. Today they would have as much time alone as they would want and Alex was going to use part of that time to throw her doubts away and find out what title she should give to their relationship.

She stood firmly and observed every little part of her face. She wanted to be perfect. She needed to be perfect. Alex smiled at that thought and relaxed. Yeah, maybe she was going to 'confront' Olivia about that issue today but also, today was the day she had been waiting for over a month. Today, Olivia would be her guard again. No more little time together, no more unbearable guards around her, no more daydreaming of when she would see the brunette; all of that ended that day and that was something to celebrate.

Alex continued getting ready for school and finished just a moment before the bell rang. Immediately, she said goodbye to her family in a quick shout and headed to the door. She opened it and the first thing she saw was the biggest grin she had ever seen on Olivia's face, which was very contagious and caused the appearance of Alex's own smile.

After a moment of strictly staring at the other one, Olivia spoke. "Ready to leave?" She asked, wanting to be alone with the blonde as soon as possible. Alex simply nodded and after closing her house's door she started making her way to the car. In the middle of their path, she smiled and silently giggled when she felt Olivia's protective arm behind her waist.

The brunette opened the car's door for the blonde and then got inside it herself, her huge grin still displaying. Alex raised one of her eyebrow. "I thought you weren't excited about coming back." She said.

Olivia sighed and observed Alex who was leading the car out of the Mayor's mansion. "Well, that was true until I realized I was going to see you and your undying beauty every day. From that moment on I've been looking forward to this day." Olivia took Alex's hand and softly kissed it.

Alex relaxed her eyebrow and melt with Olivia's gesture. She was about to speak with a soft, full of love voice she reserved exclusively for her guard but decided it would be much funnier to tease her. "Damn." Alex said almost in a whisper.

"What?" Olivia asked confused.

The blonde girl shrugged and spoke with her gaze stuck in the driveway. "I must be truly irresistible for you to be _this_ sappy." Alex chuckled.

Olivia shot her a killing look for ruining the moment. "If I were you, I would shut up and go on with the driving, Aphrodite." The brunette heard the younger woman giggling and joined her. She searched for Alex's hand again and held it, caressing it softly with her thumb while her gaze got lost in the trail.

Alex turned to Olivia and saw her relaxing as her grin got even bigger. When she noticed she was being watched, the brunette moved her look back to the blonde and stare to the pair of sweet blue eyes in front of her and with only looking at them for a moment, she confirmed she had done the right thing –that it didn't mattered what came next. She had Alex and that made everything worth the price. Olivia softened her smile and got comfortable into her seat never letting the blonde's hand go.

They reached the school's parking lot and Olivia freed Alex's hand so she would be able to park the car. The teenager turned the motor off and sighed with her hands clung to the steering wheel. Olivia grabbed Alex's school bag and was about to leave the car when she heard the blonde's voice calling her.

"Liv." The sixteen-year-old whispered and instantly felt the brunette's gaze all over her.

Olivia looked at Alex confused. "What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

Alex met a pair of caring, brown eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. She was about to speak when she heard some teenagers laughing nearby and realized that that wasn't a private place by any means. They couldn't have a serious talk about their relationship in her high school's parking lot with her classmates walking besides them. That just wasn't right. They needed it a much more private place. "I wanna talk about something – but we cannot do it here." She said, hoping it would be enough and that Olivia wouldn't ask her too many questions.

The brunette nodded uncertain of what to do or say. What was going on? What did Alex wanted to say to her? Was she regretting something? Had Irene found out? Did this have anything to do with the fact the Alex had been off those past days?

"We can go to my place after school." She offered and relaxed a little when Alex smiled.

The blonde slightly nodded and sighed in relief. "Yeah, that'll be great." Alex let her worries go away for a moment and set her hands over her lap with her blue eyes staring at them. She'll have to wait the entire morning to talk with Olivia. Would she be able to do that? Alex hoped she would, she wanted to enjoy that day.

Olivia interrupted Alex's thoughts when she reached for one of the girl's hands. "You're sure you don't want to talk now?" She asked, just in case Alex might change her mind.

The blonde shook her head. "Later is fine." She said and looked to Olivia. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

Half smiles were exchanged between the two women before they left the car and made their ways to Alex's first period class.

* * *

><p>"It's so good to have you back!" Maura smiled excited as she saw Olivia standing next to Alex in the hallway. "She was insufferable while you were gone."<p>

The taller blonde smashed her locker's door in the attempt of closing it. "Geez, thanks Maura. Although I would have said miserable instead of insufferable."

Olivia laughed and turned to the petite girl, ignoring Alex's commentary. "I presumed she would be impossible without me. I tried to return ASAP, sorry it took this long."

"Okay you two, that's enough." Alex crossed her arms and burrowed her eyebrows. She glared at both women just s the bell rang announcing the next period would be starting soon.

Maura shrugged. "We'll continue later Olivia." She said, laughing at the visible frustration Alex had. "I have to reach my French class but I'm glad you're back." The petite girl offered a soft smile and made her way out of Alex's and Olivia's sight.

"Ready for your free-period study-time?" Olivia asked Alex once Maura had disappeared.

"Sounds exciting." The blonde said and a mischievous smirk emerged on her face. "But I think I'm gonna skip the study part today. I've got a much better idea." She said seductively.

Olivia swallowed and her voice tone was lowered unconsciously. "As much as I would _love_ to know more about this idea of yours; you have to study, Lex."

The blonde's smirk grew as she got closer to Olivia. "We can always practice some Spanish, _Liv._"

The tall brunette sighed heavily. "We can skip study only with one condition." She told Alex and the younger woman's eyes smiled.

"Which one?" She asked surprised Olivia had given in.

"We'll talk now instead of going to my place later." Alex took a step away from Olivia and crossed her arms.

"You don't play fair." She objected.

Olivia raised an eyebrow and genuinely smiled. "But do I win?"

Alex sighed and started lightly walking towards her high school's library. "Well, you do have this magic ability that makes me do whatever you want so…"

"So I win?" The brunette asked again with an excitement that reminded Alex of Amy's face when she opened her Christmas' gifts.

Blue eyes searched for brown ones and nodded with a smile. "Only this time." Alex whispered as grinned to herself as she realized that Olivia actually _had_ that magic ability of making her do whatever she'd want.

* * *

><p>School day went on as a regular one after that, Alex had a couple more classes before lunch and another pair after it. In some of them Olivia would enter to the classroom and stay in the back, during others she would patiently wait outside; that mainly depended on the teacher's –and sometimes Alex's— preference.<p>

But the brunette certainly preferred being able to attend the lesson, partly because it allowed her to do her job better but mainly because she could be present when arguments between Alex and her classmates or teachers occurred— and Olivia loved that. She loved seeing Alex standing up for something, even if it was only her opinion about that day's lesson. She loved to hear how the voice of the blonde got firm and even more powerful that regularly. The sixteen-year-old girl had a way of speaking that Olivia was sure could turn a ridiculous idea into a magnificent one in just one phrase.

The bell rang announcing the end of the school day and both Alex and Olivia smiled. The brunette walked the few steps that were keeping her away from the blonde and wait until she had gathered all her things.

"God, this day seemed like it would never end." Alex said while they were leaving the classroom.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "If you didn't want me to come back you only had to say it." She teased.

Alex eye-shot the brunette. "You know what I mean." They reached the end of the hallway and with that, Alex's locker. The blonde took a few things out of it and left a pair or two inside, she was closing its door when she felt her phone ringing, announcing a new message had just arrived. She looked at the sender's ID. _Mom. _The teenager read the text and let a low groan out.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked her.

The blonde just shook her head. "Let's go, I'll tell you in the car."

Both women made their way to Alex's car quickly; Olivia, trying to figure out what had happened and Alex silently cursing. They got inside the vehicle and Alex turn it on and started to drive. The brunette patiently waited for her to speak first.

"We won't talk today." Alex finally said. "My mom is running late and she wants me to pick Amy up from school. She would have a driver to pick her up but Amy doesn't like it and Cragen called Cassidy for something so he can't go." She explained. "I'm really sorry, Liv."

Olivia reached for Alex's hand and squeezed it. "It's okay. Maybe if your mom's running late I could stay for a while and talk. You okay with that?" She offered sweetly.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, though I was really looking forward to going to your place. I've never been there yet!" She said and Olivia laughed.

"We can go there anytime you want."

* * *

><p>The couple picked Amy up and drove to the Mayor's Mansion. After a few minutes trying to get the little girl to watch a Disney movie that had just started, Alex and Olivia headed to the younger woman's bedroom. Olivia closed the door and took Alex's hand sweetly.<p>

The blonde's teeth were trembling and Alex could felt the goddamn butterflies in her stomach but she couldn't define if she was either nervous or anxious or what. She relaxed for a second with Olivia's gentle touch and sat over her bed.

She tried to speak, to say something. God, she had practiced this speech so many times during the past few days, why was it so hard to say it now?

_'Butterflies. That's why.' _She told herself.

Alex opened her mouth, or she thought she had, at the same time Olivia begun speaking.

"Hey, honey, you can tell me anything. I love you, regardless what you might say now, okay?" The guard said, unknowing what Alex wanted to tell her and needing to figure that out as soon as possible but not wanting to put the blonde in an uncomfortable situation.

The younger woman nodded. "I know." She smiled weakly and got closer to Olivia, pressing their foreheads together – assuming that could give her some guts.

Olivia caressed Alex's cheek softly with her thumb and they both closed their eyes, getting lost and relaxing for a moment.

"I love you too, Liv." Alex whispered and Olivia opened her eyes a little, admiring the beautiful figure in front of her.

She nodded. "I know." The brunette copied the blonde's earlier response with a smile and leant forward to kiss her.

A soft, slow, gentle kiss was shared and it may have longed decades – of course, that would have been if someone hadn't showed up and opened Alex's door in that same moment.

**Cliffhangers are a bitch. I know that. That's why we all secretly love them so much.**


	31. Opinions of a Third Person

**A/N: Okay, so this was not the person I had originally thought as 'the intruder' BUT I liked this one better and it gave the story the turn I wanted so God Bless The Intruder 2.0! **

**Hope you like the chapter!**

Alex and Olivia froze when they felt a third presence in the blonde's bedroom. In just a second, they slightly pulled away, breaking the kiss but not the contact. Olivia knew they have been caught and it didn't matter what came next; at that moment she needed to be there for Alex, she had to hold her if she cried and encourage her if she wanted to talk – and that was the first thing in her mind.

The brunette squeezed the teenager's hand softly and with her brown eyes she let Alex know everything would be okay – that she wouldn't let anything happen to them and their relationship. Olivia's gaze moved and met a new pair of bright and light eyes. Though she was still tense, she sighed in relief.

'_It could have been much worse.' _The guard thought and heard the intruder speaking, barely mumbling a 'What the hell'.

Silence took over the room until Olivia spoke. "Don't say anything yet, just let us explain." It was the first thing that came to her mind.

"Olivia, I want you to leave this room now. I need to talk with Alex – _alone_." The third person said with a strong, intimidating voice that the tall woman was sure she had never heard before.

The brunette shook her head slowly. "I'm not leaving. The three of us can talk." She said with determination.

"Liv, it's okay." Alex softly told her. "I'm gonna have this talk anyway and I rather do it sooner than later." The blonde said with a small smile Olivia recognized as faked, but she didn't push it; she trusted Alex.

The guard looked to the teenager and then to the intruder. "I'll be waiting right behind that door." She said without taking her eyes off the second one. Olivia gave one last squeeze to Alex's hand and left the room.

* * *

><p>Olivia stood outside Alex's bedroom door for endless minutes, the whole time debating which one of her three options to take: she could go back inside the room, stay in the hallway or go somewhere else and wait for them there.<p>

She was desperate in knowing what was happening inside the blonde's bedroom, to know what were they talking about and if Alex had convinced the intruder that their relationship was built out of love and nothing more than that. She wanted the situation to be over – to see this person walking away as she held Alex in her arms for as long as she wanted.

Staying right where she stood now wasn't going to able her to listen to the conversation due to the sound-proof walls and door, but it maybe was the best option. If Alex needed her, she would be just a few steps away and she could go inside the bedroom as soon as the conversation ended. Though, she knew that if Alex needed her, she wouldn't say it, the blonde was too proud and Olivia also knew that when the talk was over, the teenager would need at least some personal moments to process what had just happened.

_Guess there's only one option left. _Olivia sighed and took her cellphone in her hands. She tipped a quick message and sent it to Alex before she left her spot and walk her way out of the hallway and to another room of the mansion.

* * *

><p>The door shut behind the intruder's back and Alex was the first one to spoke. "What are you doing here?" She asked.<p>

"I came to visit you and one of the maids let me in. We're best friends, remember?" He said and sat down next to the blonde. "We're supposed to tell us everything. Even the stuff we think we shouldn't." His eyes softened for the first time in the last couple of minutes. "I'm sorry if I was overbearing when I asked her to leave, but I needed to talk this with you and only you."

Alex nodded. "I know." She softly said. "I'm sorry you found out this way. I wanted to tell you, Trevor, I really did… I just… I don't know. I didn't want to jeopardize this anymore than it already is."

Now it was his turn to nod and understand the teenager's statement. "If you want to explain to me what's exactly going on here, I'll be glad to hear you out." He told her.

The blonde breathed deeply and let the air out. "Not too after I met her I realized I've started falling for her – that she wasn't just another crush. After that, things just happened. It took us a while to accept our feelings. I can't tell you all the times we tried to lock up our feelings and deny them, we know that we aren't supposed to be together, Trevor, we know that and frankly, we're truly scared." Alex said with wet tears falling from her bright blue eyes. "I love her with all my heart and I know she loves me just as much. She's the greatest person I know. I don't want to lose her, I _can't_ lose her."

Tears kept being unsuccessfully wiped from Alex's cheeks when Trevor spoke, moments after the blonde had finished. "If you two love each other as much as it seems, I don't want you to lose her either. But I don't want you to be this scared, or to have to hide. I want you to be in a formal, serious and healthy relationship – and this is not the right way to have one of those. You can't play hide-and-seek with this, Alex."

Alex's eyes widened. "You're saying that I should tell my parents?" She asked incredulously and almost felt offended by Trevor's suggestion.

"I'm sure that you'll find the one way of telling them that won't make them instantly run against the idea of the two of you dating."

Alex huffed and rubbed her forehead. "And if I don't find one?" She asked with a vulnerable voice. "What happens if I cannot convince them that our relationship is for good?" Some tears start reappearing over her face and Trevor pulled Alex into a soft embrace.

"She'll still be there for you, I'll still be there. We'll figure it out together, you two, me and all the rest of the people who supports you guys. But think in the good stuff that might come with this." Trevor pulled away and talk to the teenager's eyes. "Think about being free to kiss her wherever you want, of doing those silly dating stuff I know you want to do. All of that can also happen if you unveil this to your parents, you gotta give it a try, Alex."

The blonde's phone rang announcing Olivia's message.

_ I'll be at Amy's room. One of us had to play tea time sooner or later. I love you. _

Alex read the text and smiled. She thought about Trevor's words. Maybe her parents would accept Olivia as something more than her guard. She pictured herself walking on the street, clung to the brunette's arm and stealing a kiss from her without worrying about anyone discovering them. That – that was worth the try.

"Olivia?" Alex returned from her daydreaming and looked up to Trevor.

"Huh?" She asked, not having heard her friend's words.

Trevor smiled and pointed to the teenager's cellphone. "I asked if it was from her; you know, that text message you've just received and made you grin and daydream?"

The sixteen-year-old considerably blushed and playfully shoved the man's shoulder. "Shut up." She said giggling.

"So it was from her." Trevor flashed a smile and stood from his seat on Alex's bed. "I'm gonna leave, I think you two have a lot to talk about." Alex nodded and mimicked his move. She opened her bedroom's door, walking him to the mansion's entrance.

They hugged before the college student left the house. He made a few steps and stopped when he heard his name. "Trevor." Alex softly said. He turned and their gazes met. "Thank you." The younger blonde whispered and, though he was a few feet apart, he understood her perfectly.

"Anytime." He said and finally left.

Alex walked back into her house and took the fastest path to her little sister's bedroom. She found the door half-opened and couldn't keep her grin out of her face. She watched Olivia talking with Amy about some Disney character they both seemed to like. The little kid was excitedly narrating her favorite part of the movie and wasn't too long until both of them laughed with a recently-created inside-joke.

_It'll be worth the risk. _Alex said to herself and walked inside the room.

"Hi, girls." She said and continued speaking. "Amy, I was wondering if Olivia and I could talk alone for a while, is that okay?"

"But we were talking about Stitch!" The little girl pouted.

Quickly, Olivia got into the conversation. "What if I go talk with you big sister and then the three of us watch the movie together? Wouldn't that be great!"

Amy ran with her small legs to get the movie and all the dolls that would watch it with them. The two older women smiled and left the room without making too much noise.

* * *

><p>"So how bad was it?" Olivia asked once they were inside Alex's room again. The blonde didn't reply; instead, she walked forward to Olivia and passionately kissed her. After a few minutes, she broke the kiss. "What was that about?" The confused brunette asked.<p>

Alex played with some dark locks and look into the brown eyes in front of her. "That is what my talk with Trevor made me realize. I want to be able to do that whenever and wherever I want to. Not just inside these walls. I want to walk in the street holding your hand. I want us to go on a date without caring about anything else but us. I want this to be real, to be something we don't have to hide."

Olivia's face was emotionless. She understood how Alex felt, the exact same thing was happening to her. But, what did the blonde meant with saying all of those words? "Do you want to tell you parents?" She asked, hoping the answer would be the opposite of the one she received.

"Yes." Alex softly said.

The brunette shook her head. "Baby, it's not that simple." She said low.

"Why? Why not?" The blonde sensed tears appearing into her blue eyes and her smile disappearing as she realized Olivia didn't want the same thing she did. Why Olivia did want them to hide their relationship? Was she ashamed of her?

"Alex, for god's sake, if we just go and tell them I could lose my job, I could never return to the NYPD, hell I could even go to jail!"

"But they can't charge you with statutory rape, Liv we never…" The teenager begun speaking but Olivia interrupted her.

"Do you think they would care?" She said, nearly shouting at Alex.

An awkward silent appeared and Olivia started pacing around the bedroom. Both women had tears in their eyes and were fighting to keep them from falling.

"I just want us to be happy." Alex softly broke the silence. "To be a happy, normal couple."

Olivia heard the pain in Alex's voice and felt the strongest inner ache she had ever felt. The brunette turned around and looked at the blonde woman she had learned to love so deeply. "I want that too, Alex. More than anything in this world." She sincerely said and walked the steps that kept her away from the teenager. "But I'm petrified. I'm scared, not only for me but for us. I don't know if I can handle losing you, losing everything." Olivia cupped Alex face and submerged into the bright blue eyes in front of her. "I don't want to risk this."

"Don't think about the bad side; think about all the good things that might come out of this." Alex said, taking Olivia's hands in hers. "Please Liv, just think about it. We could be enjoying ourselves so much more! We can be truly happy together, but we have to risk something to have something bigger." The blonde did her best to encourage the tall brunette.

The guard sighed and dropped her gaze to the carpeted floor. "I'll think about it. But I don't promise you anything."

Alex smiled reappeared instantly and her lips searched for Olivia's. A short kiss was shared until the blonde pulled away and spoke. "That's more than enough for me. Thank you." She talked to Olivia softly and kissed her again. "Now, I think you promised a movie to my sister so we better go watch it."

The brunette smiled along. "I'd only go if you promise you won't laugh at me for knowing half of the lines by heart."

The younger woman's jaw dropped. "You gotta be kidding me." She started laughing until Olivia opened the bedroom's door and pushed her outside the room.

"Let's go." The guard muttered.

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it? Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Let me know! Click the button below and review!**


	32. Just Think About it

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter is so short I'm almost ashamed of being uploading it BUT I have the next one already figured out so I think it's gonna be up before weekend ends, say yay with me! yay!**

**Thanks for all the reviews and the fic love! It motivates me so much to keep on with the writing! I hope you like this chapter!**

Later that afternoon, a cheerful song woke up Olivia. The brunette slowly opened her eyes and started studying where she was.

It resulted easy for the guard to find out that she was laying over a furry, colorful couch, with the right arm placed on top of the armrest and the left one around something. _'More like someone.' _Olivia smiled to herself when she saw Alex cuddled against her side, serenely sleeping. The brunette looked back to the first arm and watched how Amy used it as a pillow while the rest of the girl's tiny body was set on top of Olivia's lap.

Her ears heard the song that woke her up again and her brown gaze moved to the TV, where '_Lilo & Stitch' _credits were showing. Olivia yawned. The three of them had fallen asleep during the movie and the two younger girls had leant on her looking for a more comfortable position.

Olivia tried to stretch without waking up the blondes but quickly realized it would be senseless. She sighed, accepting the fact that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Her eyes went back to the long blonde locks that rested over her shoulder and Olivia smiled. She kissed the top of Alex's head softly and remained in that position for a moment that could have lasted forever. The tall woman felt herself relaxing and maybe even falling into Morpheus' arms once again. She closed her eyes with a small grin, pressing herself slightly deeper into the couch.

Although Olivia's movement was minimum and pretty hard to notice, it caused Alex to wake up. The blonde teenager snuggled even more into the brunette and unconsciously moaned. Olivia opened her eyes and smiled. "Good afternoon." She said as she placed one blond lock behind Alex's ear.

"It'll be good if I don't have to move." The younger woman spoke without either opening her eyes or moving anything else than her lips.

Olivia laughed softly. "We slept almost the entire movie. I believe you'll be able to handle changing your position after one full hour. Besides, we have to wake Amy up or she won't be getting any sleep tonight – and I don't want to even think about what your mother might do to me if I let that happen."

Alex groaned. "Just a few more minutes."

Ignoring the blonde's request, the tall brunette sweetly caressed the little girl's cheek. "Amy, the movie's over honey. It's time to wake up." Olivia spoke and Alex reluctantly moved.

"I don't wanna wake up!" Amy complained and covered her closed light eyes with her small hands while Olivia shot a killing look to Alex who was now stretching herself next to the brunette.

The teenager started laughing as she raised her arms pleading not guilty. "I can't help the genes, Liv!"

The guard ignored the blonde's commentary and continued her attempt of waking Amy up, achieving her goal after short minutes.

The group split in two when Amy rushed back into her bedroom and Alex silently led Olivia back to her own bedroom.

"You know I have to leave." The brunette said, raising her eyebrow while she closed the door.

Alex faked a pout and cupped Olivia's face. "But don't I deserve a goodbye kiss?" Both women smiled and shared a small kiss until the younger one pulled away. "Are you gonna think about telling my parents about us?" Alex asked and heard the brunette sighed. "Please, just think about it."

"I will." Olivia nodded and took the door's knob with a hand while the other one softly caressed Alex's cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed her one more time and walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>Alex carelessly threw her body over the bed and sighed at the way the day's events had turned out.<p>

She had woken up wanting to ask Olivia where they were standing on their relationship – but now, just a few hours later she found herself actually wanting to tell the truth to her parents and the last thing on her mind was to know what title she should give to the brunette that had stolen her heart.

All her worries had vanished now that she looked at the all the good stuff instead of the bad things that could happen if they made their relationship public.

The blonde smiled at herself with simply thinking about it. The only thing Alex wanted in that moment was to grab her schoolbag, take her one of her notebooks out and start drawing heart with Olivia's name inside them. She laughed when she realized how silly she was being. "Who would guess you'd ever want to do that, Alex." She softly spoke alone without making her grin evaporate.

She bitted her lip and thought. She slyly glanced at the bag placed at the edge of her bed. She stared at it during endless minutes until she finally whispered a 'whatever' and gathered the guts to actually take it. Then, Alex opened her schoolbag and searched for one of her notepads. She quickly chose one and went straight to its end before taking a red pen and beginning her artwork.

After around half an hour she had drawn all types of hearts and used every kind of handwriting she had thought of. Alex looked at her work with a shy smile and laughed.

_The things you do to me, Olivia Benson._

* * *

><p>Olivia left the subway three stops before her regular one. She needed fresh air, she needed to walk, she needed to lost herself in her thoughts and she didn't want to do it motionless and under earth.<p>

She rounded a corner and wind met her face. She slightly slowed her pace and hoped the breeze would brush her worries away – but it didn't happened. The brunette rubbed her face, waited a few seconds and resumed her walk.

What was she going to do? Would she take the risk of losing her career –her life– for Alex? How would they tell the blonde's parents? What would happen with their relationship after telling them? What would happen with her? Would she be able to handle all the consequences? What would happen if Thomas and Irene pressed charges against her? What if she ended up convicted as a sex offender?

The tall brunette closed her eyes strongly. She took a deep breath and opened her brown eyes again in a flash. She quickened her pace and didn't listen to her mind until several minutes later, when she discovered she had ran all the way up to her building.

Olivia's gaze went to the structure's door and then to the street in front of her. She exhaled loudly and ducked with her hands over her knees. The guard looked down to the street's ground but after just a second she was already up again. She took her keys and opened the building's door. Hurriedly, she ran up the stairs to her apartment and got herself inside of it.

Once the door was locked, Olivia walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She threw her clothes randomly over the floor without and without giving it much thinking she pushed her body under the cascade of water – foolishly believing that if that breeze hadn't took her worries again the water might do it.

It didn't take her too much time to figure out that that wouldn't happen. Olivia laid her back on the cold wall of the shower and stayed there, unmoving, for what it seemed an eternity, with the tears falling from her eyes being the only thing that assured her time was moving at the same pace it always did.

_What the hell am I going to do?_

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it? Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Let me know! Click the button below and review!**

**Next chapter: Olivia's decision! *CHUNG CHUNG***


	33. It'll be Worth The Price

**A/N: Hey there! Thanks to you all for the lovely reviews! I hope you like this new chapter!**

_It's the right thing to do. _Olivia reminded herself as she walked down the marbled hallway and located herself in a red chair.

Last night, she had gotten into her bed as soon as she'd finished showering – but that hadn't helped her to fall asleep quicker.

Olivia looked around her bedroom containing tears from falling. While she was in the bathroom she had made her decision – it wasn't the one she wanted the most, but it was the one that was right and the adult thing to do.

But curled up alone in her bed, Olivia asked herself if that was truly what she should do. Her decision would keep one very important aspect of her life safe but at the same time, it would completely destroy other very important one. The question was: 'Is it worth the price?'

How could she know the answer to that? How could she choose between the two most sacred things for her? Why couldn't Alex understand that it just wasn't that simple – that things not always are black or white?

"Miss Benson, you can go inside his office now." The soft voice of the secretary took Olivia out of her thoughts.

The brunette nodded to the other woman and faked a small smile. She walked the few steps left and entered the man's office.

* * *

><p>"Hi." Alex said with a big grin as she opened and closed her house's main door.<p>

Olivia smiled back to her. "Hey." She simply said. She was glad Alex was in a good humor today.

Neither of them spoke until they reached the car and got inside of it just as they routinely did. The brunette was the first one to break the silence. "You don't have plans after school, don't you?" Olivia casually said.

The night before, after taking her decision, she had suffered more hours trying to find the best way of telling Alex, because she knew the blonde wasn't going to be happy with her.

Alex's jaw dropped. Where was Olivia going with this? Was she going to ask her out or was she just trying to know what they would do after classes?

'_Maybe she just has something important to do and needs the afternoon for herself._' Alex thought – negatively but realistic, as how she'd describe it. But her mind quickly flew back to the first option. What if Olivia was asking her out? Was that really going to happen someday? Were they going to have a real date? She hoped the answer would be yes. If they were going to have a date, Alex couldn't wait for it to happen.

The day before, after Olivia had left, she spent the entire afternoon daydreaming with her favorite brunette and if daydreaming make Alex smile, the blonde couldn't imagine what would feel like to be on a real date with Olivia Benson. She needed to know how it was like.

"I don't." She said without taking her gaze off the way, knowing that Olivia was only looking for reassurance since she knew Alex's entire schedule. The teenager stayed silent, waiting for Olivia to explain her question but when the brunette didn't spoke Alex asked her doubt. "What's this about?"

Olivia smiled and gently talked to Alex. "I think I owe you a visit to my apartment." She said and the blonde's face lighted up. "And it wouldn't hurt us to change our meeting point, besides that way your room will be able to rest. It must be tired of seeing my face." Olivia joked.

Alex looked at her, smiling from ear-to-ear. "I am starting to get jealous; you're spending way too much time with my bedroom." She teased.

"Well, if you stopped automatically dragging me into it every time I arrive…" The brunette's voice faded off but quickly recovered its volume. "Anyway, do you want a short-but-guided tour through my place after school?"

The blonde bitted her lip but her smile didn't vanish as she nodded excitedly.

"Great." Olivia said.

* * *

><p>A long cascade of blonde locks invaded Olivia's vision as she stood at the back of Alex's final period classroom. The guard usually heard a good part of the teenager's classes, but that wasn't the case today.<p>

Olivia had spent the entire class staring at Alex's back and thinking. Thinking about what would happen after the bell rang.

They would drive to her apartment together but she probably wouldn't say too much because she'd be scared to death trying to figure out how to tell Alex what she had done that same morning.

Would Alex notice Olivia's lack of speaking? Would she mention it to the brunette? Would that be the way their conversation would start?

Olivia didn't know how to begin her speech –not that she knew what to say in the middle or at the end—. Her first sentence would determinate Alex's first reaction; knowing this, Olivia was trying as hard as she could to build up a phrase that won't get the teenager immediately pissed off.

All Olivia hoped was that Alex would listen to her before forming her own opinion. She needed her to hear the reasons of why she had done such a thing, she needed to explain herself – but she wouldn't be able to do it if Alex didn't give her a try.

The sound that announced the end of the final period surprised Olivia and made her shivered. The brunette walked a few steps towards Alex.

"Ready to go?" The blonde asked enthusiastically.

Olivia nodded and spoke low. "Yeah." She said without letting many emotions show up.

The couple left the school building and walked straight to Alex's car. Olivia gave Alex her address and the blonde started driving the second after.

The first part of the trip was spent in silence, Olivia's mind in blank and her gaze stuck in the driveway. But this passed unnoticed by Alex since the teenage blonde was too engrossed in her own thoughts.

There wasn't a second of the ride where Alex's smile had disappeared. "I feel like I'm a diehard fan about to meet her biggest idol." The teenager broke the silence with her excitement and took the brunette away from her thoughts. Olivia looked at Alex and just smiled – she couldn't reply if she hadn't even heard the whole phrase. "Sorry if I'm overreacting but I can't help my enthusiasm. I'm gonna meet your place!" Alex spoke again, elevating her voice volume at the end.

Once again Olivia just smiled. This time, she had heard all of Alex's words but her mind was somewhere else. She couldn't stop thinking about what she was going to say to the blonde. She needed a plan and a damn good one if she wanted everything to work out fine.

* * *

><p>"Oh my god, you were so cute!" Alex's voice squawked as she saw one of Olivia's childhood photos over a dresser and walked towards it.<p>

"Oh, yeah, pink hats definitely go with me skin tone." The brunette said sarcastically and closed her apartment's door behind her.

Alex didn't pay attention to Olivia's sarcasm and continued to stare at little Olivia's face. "Can I get a copy of this one?" The blonde turned her head to her guard who now was surprisingly closer than the last time she'd looked.

"I'll make one for you." Olivia said and hugged Alex from behind, placing a soft kiss on the pale neck and snuggling her face next to it. "But I want one of you during the time you had braces."

"That's not fair! You look adorable with that tiny pink hat."

"And you look adorable with braces. I don't see any injustice being done." Alex eye-shot Olivia and the brunette loudly laughed. "Please?" Olivia put on her best attempt of puppy eyes and begged for the picture.

"Nope." Alex left a playful peck on Olivia's cheek and got away from the brunette's embrace, meticulously watching every decoration detail in the apartment.

The guard looked at the blonde and sighed. It was going to be hard, but Olivia knew she would find a way of telling Alex what she had done without making her furious. And if everything worked out as she had planned, it'll be worth the price of what she had done.

**I know you probably hate me right now but well, don't we all watch SVU? Use your detective skills and discover what has Olivia done!**


	34. I'm Sorry

**A/N: Two updates in a week! Yay! I'm getting back on the track! Hopefully I'll keep the pace but won't promise anything. **

**About last chapter, I am SO thankful for all your replies! They're a constant motivation! I hope you enjoy this new chapter! **

The blonde observed and took a mental note of every little detail in the brunette's apartment with excitement. Olivia simply stood a few feet from Alex. And though she was worried about the upcoming conversation she was going to have with her, she couldn't help but smile at the sight. Alex looked like a kid opening her gifts on Christmas Day walking around her apartment and that image made Olivia melt inside.

After inspecting every wall and furniture in the living room, Alex carelessly threw herself onto the warm couch. She closed her eyes and sighed relaxed. "Can we just stay in here forever?" She said.

Olivia smiled and sat next to Alex, putting her arm over the blonde's shoulders so she could lay her body over her. She kissed the top of Alex's head and spoke. "I'm glad you like it."

"I like how it smells." The teenager said as she snuggled her body closer to Olivia's.

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows. "What does it smell like?" She asked.

Alex looked up and smiled. "Olivia-like." She said and changed her position so her eyes were at the same level that Olivia's were. "I love it here." The blonde sweetly pressed her lips against the brunette's and was surprised when Olivia ended the kiss just after it had started. "What's wrong?" Alex asked, looking for an answer in the big brown eyes in front of her.

_Guess is now or never. _Olivia thought and sighed. She took Alex's hands in hers and looked at her. "I need to tell you something."

Olivia spoke and Alex paralyzed. She could easily see worry _– maybe even fear? –_ In Olivia's eyes and that wasn't normal. The brunette was the strongest person Alex had ever met. She hadn't seen any hesitation the day Olivia took the bullet for her, not even that had scared Olivia. So what could possibly be what was making her guard so uncomfortable?

Alex squeezed Olivia's hands, encouraging her to continue. But the older woman didn't speak. "Anything. Please, just tell me." The teenager whispered as she caressed a finger with her pale thumb.

Olivia dropped her gaze to where her hands were connected to Alex's and left it there. _I did the right thing. _She kept telling herself. _She will understand. _But she didn't believe a word of her own thoughts – so she spoke, hoping that Alex would take it easy on her and listen to what she had to say. "This is gonna be my last week as your guard."

Her words were listened in a second but the brunette waited for an eternity to Alex to reply. The blonde was shocked. How could it be? What had happened? Did her parents know about them and had fired Olivia? No, it couldn't be or Olivia wouldn't have had the chance of saying this to her. But, what if they knew but were okay with it? Yes! That could be! Olivia had gone to speak with her parents and she had made them realize they loved each other. But if that was what had happened… then why she wasn't smiling? Why were they still hiding in the brunette's apartment?

Nothing made sense to Alex, so she took a deep breath and asked the question her mind couldn't answer. "Why? What happened?"

Shame fulfilled Olivia as she heard Alex's words. She should have told her what she was going to do; she shouldn't have acted on her own. Alex deserved better. Their relationship deserved better. She was supposed to be the adult, to act with responsibility and respect. Where had that been left? Where had she respected Alex when she took such an important choice without asking her?

Olivia stared at their hands and unconsciously squeezed them tighter. She caressed Alex's fingers carefully.

Why had she done it? Why couldn't she wait and talk to Alex before doing it? Why hadn't she cared about the blonde's opinion enough to tell her? Why had she made such a big mistake?

Tears started falling from Olivia's eyes and she hoped they would be able to take her embarrassment away with them. "I'm sorry." She didn't say anything else, and it wasn't needed to.

Immediately after Olivia spoke, Alex pulled the brunette towards her and held her between her arms. She still didn't understood what was happening, what had happened. She only knew Olivia regretted it and that was enough for forgive her – at least for now. Alex gently stroked the dark locks of hair and patiently waited for Olivia to speak again.

**I know it was short and that I'm still making you guess what happened buuuut next chapter is already in my mind and I'm starting to write it today so hopefully it'll be up for the weekend! **

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it? Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Let me know! Click the button below and review!**


	35. Where doing the Right Thing leads you

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for last chapter's reviews and for all your adds and faves and for reading this story! I appreciate it so much! I started this story believing that no one would read it and now we've reached chapter 35! That's a total wow! **

**Here goes a new, long (and if I'm allowed to say, pretty amazing) chapter! I really like how this chapter turned out being so I hope you like it too!**

_'It's the right thing to do.' Olivia reminded herself as she walked down the marbled hallway in the way the secretary had pointed her to go and located herself in a red chair._

_"Miss Benson, you can go inside his office now." The soft voice of the secretary took Olivia out of her thoughts._

_The brunette nodded to the other woman and faked a small smile. She walked the few steps left and entered the man's office._

_As soon as she opened the door Olivia saw Thomas Cabot sitting on his desk chair and recognized her boss' bold head seating across Alex's father. Instantly, she felt uncomfortable. She started asking herself why she was there, it wasn't necessary. They could wait._

_'Don't fool yourself, Benson.' She thought and sighed. Things couldn't stay as they were. _

_She couldn't stay as Alex's guard. She was too involved. She couldn't do her best at protecting the blonde with everything she felt running through her body and Olivia needed to accept that. Another guard would do her job better than her. Another guard would be much more focused in whatever circumstance could occur – It was the best whether she liked it or not. After all, Olivia would never forgive herself if something happened to Alex because she wasn't paying her whole attention to her safety. _

_"Good morning, Olivia. Please take a seat." Thomas Cabot invited her inside his office with the signature smile of any politician._

_The guard stepped into the room and politely greeted both men. Quickly, she organized her thoughts and took the chair next to Cragen's. Olivia sighed, or at least she thought she had, and finally spoke._

* * *

><p>Alex drove Olivia into her arms without questioning. She pressed the brunette tightly against her thin body and both women remained there for endless minutes.<p>

Olivia's mind flew back to her morning meeting, to the things that she had said and the ones that she had deliberately kept to herself. She wanted to tell Alex everything, to explain her actions and to forget about it and move on— if it only could be that simple.

The brunette felt the blonde's soft caress on her back and thought; _maybe it can be that simple. _ After all, they loved each other. Maybe Alex would understand why she had to do what she'd done and everything would stay as it was – it could even end up being better than before.

But while Olivia made her worries vanish and enjoyed of Alex's touch, the blonde tried to figure out what had happened. Her mind was filled with different theories and hypothesis. Her heart and soul instead, were filled with the worries and fears of the uncertainty that Olivia's cry and lack of answer gave her. She was sure she had never seen the brunette like this and that unsettled her. She was holding the woman she loved, who was crying for a reason that wasn't completely clear on her mid. How would she do to comfort her if she didn't even know the exact reason that had made her cry? Alex only knew Olivia was sorry for something she had done and that was related to her job as Alex's guard having a deadline. So many things could make that happen, so many people could be involved, so many ideas came to her mind.

Unintentionally, Alex ran her hand up and down through Olivia's back. When she stepped out of her thoughts and realized what she was doing she hoped that at least the gesture would lead the brunette to speak but that didn't happen. Alex waited for a few more minutes in complete silence. The silence was finally broken by the act of the blonde woman pulling apart and freeing Olivia from her arms.

Alex used her thumb to wipe Olivia's tears away. "I'm gonna make some tea for you, okay?" The blonde said and started getting out from the couch without waiting for an answer.

"Lex, don't." Olivia took Alex from the wrist. The teenager turned to the older woman. "I need to tell you what happened now that I have the guts to do it." The brunette said almost desperately. Alex only nodded and sat next to Olivia once again.

Olivia sighed, or at least she thought she had, and finally spoke.

* * *

><p><em>Olivia woke up that morning with her gaze stuck to the ceiling. The same thoughts that had been running through her mind before she fell asleep were chasing her one more time. She needed to make them disappear.<em>

_The brunette checked the time; there still was an hour and a half until she had to pick Alex up. She had plenty of time to do what she had decided to— but did she have the guts? Could she do it?_

_'It's the right thing to do.' Olivia reminded herself and took her phone. For only a minute she stared at the screen displaying her boss' cellphone number. She tried to fool herself with the excuse that it was too early to call him and she should better call him in the afternoon. But she knew that though it was early it wasn't too early and the man was probably already on his office. Besides, what she had to do couldn't wait another second._

_She pressed 'call' and waited for Cragen to answer. Olivia heard his voice greeting her and swallowed._

_"Chief, I'm sorry to bother you so early in the morning. But I need to talk with you and the Mayor as soon as possible." She spoke professionally._

_"Is Alexandra okay?" He asked._

_Olivia sat on her bed. "She is. But there is something I need to talk over with you and considering it does involve his daughter I'd think the Mayor would like to be part of that meeting." She rubbed her head. Somehow and thankfully, the right words had appeared on her mouth. She only hoped the same would happen when she was facing both men._

_Cragen nodded and answered the young woman. "I have a meeting with him at his office in forty minutes."_

_"I'll be there." The brunette said and heard the dial tone. She closed her phone and sighed._

* * *

><p>"I had a meeting with Cragen and your father this morning, before I picked you up." Olivia said to Alex, not daring to look at the blue eyes in front of her. "Last night I barely slept. I couldn't stop thinking about us and what you've told me."<p>

The blonde squeezed Olivia's hand and the brunette found the courage of looking at her.

"I know I don't show it or talk about it, but I'm also hurting because of this. Because of the way we have to hide our feelings. There's nothing I'd love more than taking you out on a date, than holding your hand while we walk on the street, than sending you flowers and being able to write my name on the card." Olivia's eyes glittered and though she knew this speech wasn't going to end positively, Alex smiled when the brunette mention those things. "Not being able to do those things hurts me. I want us to be in a normal relationship but for now that's just impossible and I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry that we had to meet and fall in love under these circumstances."

Alex kept her tears from forming as she listened to Olivia. "I know you want that to change as much as I do and I know you think the way of changing it is telling your parents but I can't do that Alex. Not now. I love you and I'm not even going to risk this, for much attempt of a relationship it can be, I'm not going to risk it."

The brunette's words were strong and Alex knew that Olivia was right. By telling her parents they could win everything they wanted or lose everything they had built up and, with the odds being uncertain, they couldn't take the risk.

Olivia stayed silent for a second and then continued. "But I know that we can't continue being like this. I cannot be your guard anymore. In one hand, it would only make things even worse if your parents find out and it would truly compromise my career. But the main reason is that I don't trust myself to be your guard anymore. It's a clear conflict of interest. We both know it. And though I don't like the idea of someone that's not me being beside you every second, I know that it's the best for your safety."

Alex stopped fighting her tears and let them run through her pale cheeks. "So you quitted? Without previously talking with me? You took a decision that will change our relationship entirely without caring about my opinion? That was the best for my safety?" She snapped.

"I know you're angry but—" Olivia began but Alex interrupted her.

"You don't know anything about me, Olivia!" Alex shouted. "If you knew the littlest thing about me you would have known I would get like this. Of course I'm mad! I asked you to think about telling my parents about us and you just go and resign being my guard? What? You thought I would be happy? That I would ran and jump into your arms? Oh no wait, you knew I wouldn't do that since now we're not going to see each other every day and even if we do meet it's gonna be with my adorable new guard standing next to me. Of course, that'll be so much better of what we had." She said sarcastically. Alex stood up with her arms crossed and started pacing around the brunette's apartment.

A short moment of silence took place until Olivia spoke. "I did what I had to do." Though her voice was firm and strong, Alex could also hear the pain that came from it. Bright blue eyes met brown ones when the blonde turned around and faced Olivia. "I love you and I love spending time with you but I couldn't bear the simple thought of something happening to you because of me. I thought you'd understand why I did it."

"Well, I don't." Alex said and walked to where she had dropped her things. "I'm going home." She announced as she put her jacket on.

Olivia got out of the couch and went towards the blonde. "Alex, please, don't do this, we can talk and work it out."

"Are you escorting me or I need to call my new guard?" The blonde said coldly, ignoring Olivia's requests.

"Geez, Alex. Why do you have to act like such a teenager?" Olivia spoke and regretted her words immediately; knowing what would come after the brief silence they shared.

Alex burnt in anger. She grabbed her schoolbag and car keys and looked right into Olivia's eyes. "News for you, I am a teenager. I'm sorry but it came in the package. You can either take it or leave it – oh no wait, you already decided to leave it." The blonde opened the door and waited for the elevator to arrive.

Olivia put her jacket on and followed Alex. But this time, she made it in silence. She knew she wasn't going to get anything productive out of it, so she simply accompanied Alex in her way back home.

* * *

><p><em>"After the shooting, Alex and I became closer. She felt guilty of what had happened so we basically switched roles and she became some sort of guard for me. I'm glad that happened because in her I discovered an amazing young woman and someone I know I can truly trust in. I'm proud of being able to call myself her friend but I know that that shouldn't be my role. I am also her guard and yesterday, when I returned to that position, I realized that I couldn't do it anymore. I would risk my life for her without a doubt – but I don't trust myself to be one hundred percent alert all the time and I don't know for sure if the decisions I might take in a situation would be wrongfully influenced by our personal relationship and I believe that's something neither of us wants to take a chance on. I'm sorry if I disappoint you or if this gives you any sort of problems but Alex's safety has become a very important subject for me."<em>

_Thomas nodded, hiding a small smile. As soon as he had met the brunette he'd guessed she would easily bond with his daughter. Olivia was a smart, hard-working young woman and Thomas had been glad of seeing her interact with Alex as if they had been close friends their entire lives. He knew he could trust the brunette his daughter's life and that had been a relief for him. Of course, the New York City Mayor now realized that that might be also an inconvenient. _

_"I'd like to thank you for bringing this up so quickly, Olivia. My family's safety has always been a reason to worry about since I've started being a politician and it's a warm feeling to know Alex has someone like you in her life. Now, I believe that we can put someone else as Alex's guard easily. Right, Don?"_

_"Of course. I'll handle it as soon as I reach my office and before the day is over the candidate will be selected and I'll have Miss Benson's original position available." Cragen told Thomas._

_"Actually, about that…" The Mayor smiled as he looked back to the brunette. "Olivia, I'd like to offer you a new job." _

_The woman's eyes widened as she heard Thomas speak. "Sir?" She asked, intrigued to know more about it._

_"Well, you know that I'm not as lucky as my family since I generally have more than one guard around me. And you're also aware that every one of you has assigned days off." Olivia nodded and Thomas continued. "I want you to be something like my wildcard. I would like you to take the place of the family's guards on their free days and the rest of the week to be one of my guards. Of course, the first part would only apply to Irene's, Caleb's and Amy's guards but I would really like you to take my offer." _

_Olivia looked to Cragen, hoping her boss would need her for something else and ask Thomas to drop the offer. She didn't mind being Caleb's, Amy's or Thomas' guard once a week. But being Irene's? The woman already had suspicions about her relationship with Alex. Olivia feared that if Irene started questioning her she would said something that might out them. _

_"I would love to." She said. Because truthfully, what else could she have done? It wasn't up to her. _

_"Excellent!" Thomas cheerfully said. "How about you start with your new position next week? I would like Alex to 'approve' the selection of her new guard." He commented and then asked. "Does she know you're here?" The brunette shook her head and the man sighed. "I don't know if not telling her previously was the best thing to do, but probably I would have done the same thing."_

_Thomas' secretary appeared and all the looks were directed to her. She told Thomas he had a call waiting and the man replied he'll be over in a minute. "I believe that ends our meeting. But there's something else I'd like to ask for." He said looking to Cragen. "I'd like to know that this new guard won't have to remain so close to my daughter all the time. At least not when she goes to a friend's house. If she's inside a closed, private, one-entry place the guard would stay outside or standing next to the door. Alex deserves to have some time alone with her friends."_

_As soon as Thomas spoke Olivia smiled. The man was being beyond reasonable. Alex needed to have private moments with her friends and she couldn't do it with someone behind her every second of the day. _

_The Chief didn't have much trouble accepting the Mayor's request and their meeting ended quickly. Turning out to be much better of what Olivia had hoped. Now telling Alex was the only thing left and she hoped it would turn out as good as the meeting had._

* * *

><p>The couple arrived to the mansion and Alex didn't waste time in opening her house's main door.<p>

She stepped inside the house and looked to Olivia standing on her footstep. "I'll see you tomorrow." Alex smashed the door closed and went straight to her bedroom.

_I would kill her if I didn't love her. _Alex thought as she now smashed her room's door.

Olivia stood outside and sighed. She turned around and fought her need to knock the door and ask the blonde to listen to her instead of being a drama queen.

_I would kill her if I didn't love her. _Olivia thought as she left the mansion.

**And there it goes! **

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	36. Father knows Best

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! As Always thanks for all the amazing reviews, adds and faves! You guys are the bests! Hope you like the chapter!**

Alex heard a knock on her door and rolled her eyes. She ignored whoever might be on the other side and continued reading her book. She was angry. She had been angry ever since she left Olivia's place. And she had every right to be angry, didn't she? Olivia had made an incredibly important decision without consulting her; it was to expect that she would get mad.

The blonde heard another knock, this time being much stronger and accompanied by a voice. "Alex, dinner is ready." She heard her father saying.

"I'm not hungry." Alex replied without taking her gaze off the book and sharply turning a page.

The door opened and Thomas got himself inside of his daughter's bedroom. He walked a few steps and sat next to the blonde simply looking at her read. Alex avoided the meeting of their gazes. Part of her was mad at her dad too, because he agreed with Olivia's decision and let her quit but another part of her knew it wasn't his fault and it wasn't right to blame him.

"Your mom cooked lasagna." Thomas mentioned. As soon as he had entered to the room he realized Alex was fuming inside. He felt bad for Olivia, knowing Alex she probably hadn't let the brunette explain herself and had only listened to the parts of the story she wanted to.

The blonde continued focused on her book. "I'm not hungry dad, tell mom I'm sorry."

The man softly placed his hand over the book his daughter was reading and took it away from her. "Are you sure that's what's going on?" Thomas asked sweetly.

Alex looked at her father. "Everything's fine. I'm just not hungry." She said starting to get irritated and unsuccessfully tried to get her book back. "Dad, please. Just give me the book." Alex pleaded.

Thomas handed it back to her. "What's wrong?" He asked though he knew exactly was it was.

The teenager shot a deathly look to him. "Oh, so you don't know?" She said sarcastically and spoke again with a much more serious voice. "You know. What I don't get is why you all agree that getting me another guard is the best thing to do. You saw how miserable I've been during the time Liv was injured. Now that she's finally back, now I don't spend every second of my school day praying for it to be over, now you think it is better to get me yet another guard?" She told him taking in his gaze and took her book; she opened it and pretended to be searching for a specific page. "You really know best." Alex snapped with her eyes stuck to the book.

The older man sighed. "Alex, I know that you don't believe it now but it was the best decision. Olivia herself thinks that too. She doesn't believe she would be better for the job and I am sure it took her a lot of thought to come and speak with us." Thomas spoke softly to his daughter. "She cares about you and wants to keep you safe..."

Alex heard her father's words with shiny eyes. She knew Olivia cared about her and her safety, but hearing someone else saying it – that made it more real, it made her realized just how much the brunette loved her. And Alex couldn't help the small smile that wanted to appear on her face.

"…I know that and that's why I knew that I had to approve her request. Olivia did what she thought it was the best thing for your safety and I appreciate that. I consider her to be a trustworthy woman and that is the reason why I offered her the new position." Alex's eyes widened and suddenly she started paying much more attention to what her father was saying. "I thought you'd be happy she'd still be around the family."

Alex looked at her father wondering what was he talking about, what new position had been offered to Olivia? Why hadn't the brunette told her about it? Had she been so 'such a teenager' that Olivia hadn't even got her chance to speak?

Thomas smiled as he saw surprise in his daughter's face. "You didn't even give the poor woman enough time to tell you about it, didn't you?" The middle-aged man sighed and slightly shook his head before speaking again. "I was just like you when I was your age." He began and Alex couldn't help but roll her eyes. Thomas noticed the gesture his daughter made but continued without making mention of it. "When something was in my mind, no one could take it off. Not even the people I respected the most. I liked to think that my thoughts were the most important ones." Thomas made a small pause. "But growing up proved me otherwise. As I grew up, I started realizing that my thoughts and opinions mattered as much as everyone else's. So I started to listen, to stop my mouth from speaking and let my ears do their work. Knowing how to listen is a weapon as much as powerful as knowing how to speak. Opening your mind and letting something knew get in is an ability I hope you'll acquire. But guess that's one of the bad things you've got from me—the stubbornness."

"Oh, you mean the Cabot Gene?" Alex said and they both laughed.

Thomas nodded. "Yes, I guess we can call it like that too." He looked at his daughter and stared at her face for a few moments. The father realized how quickly the little girl with braces he had taken care of was being left behind and replaced by the mature, grown-up woman he had always hoped Alex would be. He was proud of everything she was. As he discovered this, his gaze turned sweeter and more relaxed than before. Thomas reached for Alex's hand and squeezed it caringly, then, he continued speaking. "I asked Olivia to be one of my guards and to cover your mother's, Amy's and Caleb's guards and their days off. There might be a conflict of interest if she's your guard but I know she's the woman for the job I offered her today."

He concluded speaking and Alex shook her head while she bitted her lower lip. She should have known Olivia wouldn't do anything that would risk their relationship. She should have heard the brunette's reasons to do what she had done. She shouldn't have acted like a kid. _I should have shut the hell up and listened to her. _Alex looked to her father and silently asked him for advice."What did you say about being stubborn again?" She joked and was relieved when she felt her dad's hand gently rubbing her back. "I was a bitch to her."

"Watch your language, young lady." Thomas said pointing his finger to Alex. The teenager just smiled. "But I'm sure that you'll figure out a way to get her forgiveness." His voice was soft again. "You two share an especial bond, Alex. I saw it that very first day when you came into my office and introduced me to Olivia. You have never before looked so relaxed and calmed with anyone else; even less with someone you've just met. That night during dinner, Caleb mentioned that you already had a crush on her – he might have said it joking but when I saw how you looked at her I knew it was going to develop in something much stronger than a crush."

Alex's jaw literally dropped. She listened to her father's words and couldn't believe what he was saying. He had known all this time? Even before she had? How? Why hadn't he confronted them? They had been so worried about what he might say and he already knew. How could that have happened?

_'I saw it'. _Alex replayed in her head what Thomas had said seconds ago. He had seen how her gaze lost itself in Olivia's, how her smile lightened up every time the brunette walked in the room. He had seen, he had heard; then again, he had opened his mind and let something new in.

"I should have mentioned it to your mother but I kept my gut to myself because, well, your mom would have probably hired her own investigation team – in that way I think she's much more possessive of her little girl than I am." Alex smiled. _If you only knew, Dad._ "Today at my office, when Olivia spoke about you, I saw such a passion in her eyes that made me feel the fathers' jealousy. She is so proud of you that she's now proud of herself for being close to you. That says a lot, Alex."

Her dad talked about pride and that was the only thing Alex felt at that moment. Hearing that Olivia was proud at her made her feel proud of herself and it certainly made her fall even harder for the brunette.

"That being said; you two have until your birthday to tell your mother or I'll do it. I was hoping that you'd come to us first but I understand the reasons why you didn't and I'm sure that you would have told us if you'd have known everything would be alright." Thomas said and cupped his daughter's cheek in his strong hand. "I love you, Lexi and though you'll be seventeen in little over a week, you'll always be my little girl. And I'm just like any other father; I want my little girl to be happy. And if that happiness consists in dating a 24-year-old woman..." Thomas speech faded off as he realized what he was saying. "Well, I think I will only stand it if that woman is Olivia." He said with a smile. "I respect her. I know she respects me. And more important, I know she respects you. So I'm okay with it – and as long as you tell your mother before your birthday I'm sure everything will be fine and you have nothing to worry about." He used his thumb to softly caress his daughter's cheek and noticed a cold tear falling from the corner of her eye.

"Thank you." Alex simply said before throwing her body over her father's and hugging him tightly.

They shared a special silence that made their father-daughter moment even more memorable. After a few seconds, Thomas pulled away from the hug. "There's another thing I wanted to ask you for." He told Alex.

The teenager desperately nodded yes as she dried her tears. "Anything." She said with a grin.

"Don't tell Olivia that I know yet. I may agree with it but I still have to give her 'the talk' and I have the perfect scenario in my mind." He said with a playful grin. Alex laughed and promised him she wouldn't say a word. "Great. Now, let's go back with the family. I want my lasagna."

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it? Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Let me know! Click the button below and review!**


	37. Apologizing in the 21st Century

**A/N: Oh guys I'm SO sorry for the delay! I celebrated my birthday yesterday and that took over every second of my free time this week. I'm gonna try to start writing the next chapter right away so I can upload it by friday or earlier if you're lucky. **

**I hope you like this new chapter, I didn't like it that much but maybe you'll do. Enjoy :)**

It was a few minutes after five when Olivia reached her apartment again. During her trip back home she realized she wasn't mad or angry at Alex, she was irritated. She had done what she was a hundred percent sure it would be the best for them and the blonde wouldn't even let her explain.

Olivia felt impotence taking power over her body. The brunette knew there wasn't a word she would be able to say without being interrupted by a very stubborn, teenage Alex and that everything would remain that way until the younger woman calmed down and allow her to explain her actions.

The 24-year-old woman climbed up four floors of stairs in a quick pace and got inside her apartment. Olivia closed the door and went straight to the bathroom. She let the hot water running as she discarded her clothes over the cold floor. The brunette stepped into the bathtub and a second later she was calming herself down with something she usually didn't have—a warm and relaxing bubble bath.

Usually, she would simply take a five minute shower and go to do whatever else she'd planned to. But today, Olivia felt as if she needed to stop – to lose herself. She wanted to make a pause and tell the time to stop running for a while, to wait for her. The brunette smiled as she carelessly played with some bubbles. Months had pasted since she had had a bath for the last time and she was planning on enjoying the one she was having.

Olivia remained inside the bathtub until she saw the bubbles disappeared and touched her wrinkled fingertips. She splashed water to her face and rubbed her eyes. The young woman stood up not without a small shiver from losing the warm comfort that water gave to her. She wrapped herself in a soft towel and left the bath.

She grabbed her phone and checked the time. Little over six. Olivia heard her stomach asking for food and thought about her regularly empty fridge. She sighed and looked at her phone once more, she had hoped seen some kind of message from Alex but she knew that was a fake and senseless hope. The blonde was too proud to do that.

Disappointed and wrapped up in her towel, Olivia walked toward the kitchen where she confirmed what her gut had told her – the fridge was absolutely filled by emptiness. The brunette closed it and looked around her apartment. And idea came to her mind and she instantly went back to the bathroom and picked up her phone. Olivia smiled as she dialed the number and waited for her call to be answered.

"Hi Olivia." She heard her mother's voice on the other line.

"Hey, mom. I was wondering… have you eaten already? 'Cuz I probably won't be working any more for today and was hoping we could have dinner together."

Serena smiled to the phone. "I haven't and it's nice when your grown up daughter remembers you still exist. Thank you, honey." The older woman joked.

"I am not that bad!" Olivia complained and heard her mother's laugh on the other side. "And to prove so I'm picking you up in forty and we'll go to that Italian restaurant you're so fond of. Does that sound pleasant to you mother?" The brunette once again heard her mom's soft laugh and smiled.

"It does, Olivia. Thanks again and I'll see you in a bit." Serena said and hung up the phone.

Olivia walked to her bedroom and carelessly threw her phone over the bed's comforter. She started pulling a shirt from her wardrobe but something stopped her and she hung it again.

The brunette then looked back at her phone and sighed; still no sign from Alex. Olivia knew she had to be patient and wait for the blonde to come to her senses but she just couldn't. Everything she had done had been exclusively to make their relationship better, not to screw it up – and up until that moment, her plan hadn't worked out exactly as she had wished it would.

Olivia changed her clothes and went to her living room, thoughts of Alex still running through her head. She saw her laptop lying over a coffee table and went straight to it. _I'm sorry but I can't wait until tomorrow._

The 24-year-old woman typed and more than once shut her eyes in order to stop tears from falling. She wrote every word right from her heart and sent the email. She breathed deeply, grabbed her leather jacket and left the apartment.

* * *

><p>Alex finished having dinner with her family and excused herself back to her bedroom. Her plans that night consisted on going straight to bed and have the deepest beauty sleep she would ever have. Alex knew she needed all the rest she could get so she could swallow her pride and properly apologize to Olivia in the morning.<p>

The blonde walked through her door and didn't take much time to notice that the computer was alerting her about an incoming new message. When that had been sent? Her phone would have ringed if it had been during dinner and Alex hadn't heard it. She sighed.

During the afternoon she hadn't pay attention to anything but she would have never thought she could build walls this strong between herself and the rest of the world if she wanted to.

Still surprised she hadn't seen the email before, Alex debated whether to read it or not. She truly wanted to go to bed as soon as possible and get a good, long sleep. But on the other hand… she knew she wouldn't get any sleep knowing there was an unopened, unanswered email waiting for her.

This has always been one of Alex's manias; every text, every email, every letter or call she'd get, she had answered it immediately. She couldn't wait too long to do it because, what if it was important?

Of course, she knew that most of the times the messages wouldn't say things she needed to know ASAP. But the possibility of something huge happening was always potential. It was as if every message she received could change her life. As if doors and windows were always open, for both good and bad things. And if something that would change her life was only a click away, then why not to read the message immediately? Everything else could wait a few minutes.

Having similar thoughts in her mind, Alex walked to her desk and clicked enough times to open the email she had received. A genuine smile took over her face and Alex let a high pitch squeal out as she saw from whom the email was.

_I know you're angry, I know you don't understand the reasons of why I quitted being your guard and I know you think that, along with quitting the job, I quitted fighting for an 'us'. _

_Last night, I felt as confused as you are now. I wanted to do what would be the best for us but it was hard for me to see what the best thing was when it also happened to be the one that hurt me the most. _

_There is nothing I want more than spending every second of every day with you but doing that as your guard would put your safety in a dangerous limbo and I… I couldn't risk that. I could risk being with you and spending my time with you but I couldn't and I won't ever risk _you_. _

_I love every inch of you too much to risk them._

_There's a part of me regrets what I did and wishes I wouldn't have done it. But the other part, the one that tells me I did right, is the bigger one and it's the one I try to listen._

_I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about it before doing it. I wish I could have found a way of doing everything but without hurting you or making you angry. I guess I just wanted to do what I thought was best for us._

_With all my love, _

_Olivia._

Alex read Olivia's email and realized that in that moment more than ever she needed to change. She needed to grow up, to mature; for herself but also for their relationship. The young blonde knew that though she would always be stubborn she had to learn to listen first and then talk.

She stared at the computer's screen with a smile on her face and couldn't help but think about how blessed she was. She was only a few days from turning seventeen and she had by her side this amazing, incredible woman who cared so deeply for her. How did she get so lucky? How had she ever managed to make the brunette fall for her?

Alex smiled at the floor as she thought more about it. Olivia loved her. She would never get tired of having that thought in mind. The most wonderful woman she had ever met loved her and for that Alex would be eternally thankful.

Now she had to deserve Olivia. Alex needed to feel she deserved Olivia's love and attention. And for that she had to grow up. She had to learn how to listen first and then talk.

Her objective wouldn't be accomplished by the end of the day and she knew it. It would take her time and effort to mature but meanwhile, Alex decided she should start with apologizing.

The blonde picked up her cellphone and dialed Olivia's number.

As Alex waited for Olivia to answer, she jumped on her bed and sank between some pillows, tightly hugging one. "Hi." She heard her favorite voice in the other line and smiled.

"Hey." Alex said and bit her lip as she resolved that going straight to the point would be the best thing to do. "I— I'm sorry Liv."

* * *

><p>Olivia silently sighed when she heard Alex's apology. She hugged herself with her free arm and caressed her other arm's side. "I know you are. I'm sorry too – I should have talked with you first. I don't know what came to my mind really I just—" She started speaking but Alex interrupted her.<p>

"You did fine, you took such a hard decision by yourself and now I know you made the right choice. I get it now… or at least I'm trying to fully get it. I… I'm sorry you have to stand me when I act like this. I hate it actually. It shouldn't be your job to raise me and make me grow up and—"

This time, Olivia was the one who interrupted. "It's not my job and I'm not raising you; never feel like I'm doing it, Alex. I'm just witnessing how you're turning into this amazing woman and becoming a little more proud of you as days go on. I'm not here to stand you; I'm here to support you and that's something I'm more than happy to do. You are not some kind of baggage for me. You will never be." The brunette looked back to where her mother was sitting and saw how Serena's eyes ran away from hers; trying to hide the fact she was making the attempt of listening her daughter's conversation. Olivia heard a quiet silence in the other line. "Hey, I love you." She whispered. "Regardless your mood."

Alex laughed. "I love you too." The blonde said with a soft smile that wasn't far too different from Olivia's own.

"I gotta go but I'll see you and your beautiful face tomorrow, okay?" Olivia heard Alex humming yes. "Bye." She softly said and ended the call.

The brunette walked back to her and her mother's table and sat down in front of the older woman. Serena looked at her only daughter with an evident smirk on her face that passed unnoticed by Olivia. "I'm sorry; I had to take the call. What were you saying?" She asked.

Serena shrugged. "Of course you had to take it." She said mischievously. "Who was that?"

Olivia's eyes tried not to widen but didn't succeed on their mission. "It was… Hm, I…" The guard hesitated and Serena giggled. Years may have passed, but when the mother asked her daughter about her love interests she still got the same vague and evasive response she did when Olivia was twelve-years-old.

The English professor embraced one of her daughter's hands into her owns and spoke with a small but hearable laugh in her voice. "It's alright, sweetheart. You don't have to tell me anything, but I do hope I get to know who this person is if it gets serious enough."

Olivia nodded, smiled and blushed at the same time. "You will." She assured she would but knew it was already a broken promise.

**So, tell me! Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it? Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Let me know! Click the button below and review!**


	38. Old Enough To Stop Asking For Permission

**A/N: Wow, now this one was a chapter that my muse didn't like. I cannot believe it took me so long to write it down! I stayed hours in front of the screen and only wrote like 100 words and this morning and idea came to me and I wrote over the half of it in less than two hours! How cool and frustrating at the same time is that? LOL**

**Well, thank you for all your reviews and adds and everything! I appreciate them so much! I hope you like this chapter!**

"So what are your plans for your seventeenth birthday?" Olivia curiously asked Alex as they got inside one of the school's ladies' rooms.

The younger blonde sighed. "I don't know yet. I just know I want to do something different. I don't feel like throwing a party and cutting the cake like every year." She said and walked to the sink.

Olivia nodded. "You're right. Is not every year that you get the chance to have guests as VIP as this one." The brunette pointed to herself jokingly. Alex bit her lips as she shook her head in amusement. She washed her hands and splashed some water in Olivia's face. "Hey!" Olivia complained.

"That's what you earn for having such a big ego." The teenager stated with a smile and moved to dry her hands; knowing that the older woman's gaze was all over her.

The guard was watching every single cell in Alex with awe. Olivia could simply smile and look at the young blond in front of her. Even at doing something as simple as drying her hands with a paper towel Alex was flawless. _Well, isn't that sappy, Benson? _Olivia laughed with herself and after checking with her eyes there was no one in the bathroom she went behind Alex and hugged her hip. "And for being my caring, adorable, perfect self what do I earn?" She said kissing Alex's neck.

The student smiled and appreciated the soft trail of kisses Olivia was leaving on her skin. "Well, if I recall correctly you do have an amazing unused kitchen I'd love to try out." Alex turned and gripped her hands behind Olivia's neck. "Let's say on Friday?" She asked.

Olivia grinned. "I like how that sounds." She sincerely said and bit her lip as an idea came to her mind. "Maybe you can stay later? We can figure out some exceptional activity to do on your birthday." The brunette counter offered and Alex's jaw was slightly dropped. Olivia smiled at the young girl's speechlessness. "So what do you think about having our own girls' night?" She asked and the bell rang announcing a new period would start in little time.

Alex nodded. She grinned and nodded. She grinned, nodded and kissed Olivia. After breaking the kiss, she hugged her tightly.

The blonde couldn't hide her excitement and it wasn't like she wanted to. Olivia was asking her to spend the night at her place. She was inviting Alex to be part of her world; to stay at her apartment and to literally sleep with her. The blonde knew that the physical contact it wouldn't go any further than make-out sessions. She was convinced that no matter how tempted the brunette could be she would stop every single one of the blonde's attempts to get intimate. And that fact made Alex react in two completely different ways.

In one hand, she felt frustrated and irritated at Olivia. Why couldn't they be together if they loved each other? Alex wasn't a little kid anymore, hell, she wasn't even virgin. Why couldn't they have sex? It bothered Alex that Olivia wanted to do everything so rightfully.

But at the same time it made Alex pissed off, it made her fall harder for the brunette. It made her realize how much Olivia loved her and how long she would be able to wait. It was romantic to know that when she'd be truly ready Olivia would be there and it would be even more magical than in her dreams.

"You are an amazing woman." Alex whispered low to Olivia's ear and pulled away from the embrace, her smile being the first thing Olivia saw once they were separated. "So should I take my sleeping bag with me or I'm borrowing that comfy couch of yours?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

"Well…" Olivia begun, decided to play along the blonde's game. "That clearly depends on whether you're good to me until Friday. Think you can behave and don't make me get too angry for two days?" She said and smiled when she heard Alex laughing out loud.

"I doubt so. I'm a teenage, female Cabot. Remember?" This time, it was Olivia's laugh that echoed in the high school's bathroom.

"Okay, that's a fair enough excuse." The brunette told Alex as she opened the door and pointed to the hallway just as the bell rang, announcing a new period would begin shortly after. "May I escort you to your classroom Miss Cabot?" Olivia said with a –maybe too— chivalrous voice that made Alex giggle as she walked her way outside the ladies' room.

"Do you realize you'll soon be opening doors for my mother once a week right?" Alex mentioned Olivia's new assignment for the first time.

The guard sighed. "I know. I have no doubt everything will go okay with your dad and with Amy and Caleb but I don't know about your mom." Olivia spoke and made a pause but as soon as she heard her own words she tried to correct herself. "I mean, it's not like I hate her or anything. I think we get along pretty well and I—"

Alex stopped her from getting tongue-tied. "Liv, I know what you meant, don't worry. That was exactly why I asked you about it. We both know about my mom's suspicions and I just don't know if having her next to you so long will make things better or worse." The blonde confessed although she knew that in little over a week her mother would know the truth about them. Alex still wanted to know what Olivia thought about this knew situation even if not telling the brunette about her talk with her father resulted hard.

Olivia swallowed before speaking again. "In some way, I believe it might help us to bond and it'll be a good way of her having a better opinion about me, which would help us whenever we tell her about us. But I'm not gonna lie to you and say I think this is going to be an amazing experience and can't wait for it to happen. It terrifies me that she might question me about us, in a direct or indirect way. I don't want her to find out the truth because I let it slip, she deserves better than that."

The blonde nodded and went to grab the brunette's hand but Olivia evaded the touch, using her warm nut brown eyes to remember the younger woman that PDAs weren't allowed but them… yet.

"You'll do great. I'm sure of that." Alex said confident as they got near her classroom.

Olivia smiled gently at the young woman. "I have a meeting with your dad tomorrow. He wanted to talk with me about it; and probably tell me all the things Amy and Caleb can't do or eat." She joked and Alex faked a small laugh, knowing that wouldn't be the main topic of the reunion by any means.

"I'll let them know I'll be sleeping at yours on Friday, so he can tell you what I can't do or eat too." The blonde joked and walked through her classroom's door.

The older woman smiled. "I'm sure it'll be a great topic for dinner." She said with a small laugh behind her words and went straight to her regular place at the back of the schoolroom.

* * *

><p>The young blonde couldn't help herself. She had been daydreaming about the upcoming Friday events ever since Olivia invited her to stay overnight at her place.<p>

Alex had already pictured how the day would go for them. They will leave the school's building as soon as her last period finished and Olivia will open the car's door for her as she usually did. The ride to the brunette's apartment will probably consist in small talk, playful fights over the radio selection and hands intertwined. A comfortable silence will be shared as they finish the trip and reach Olivia's home, where the guard would for sure be an outstanding host by asking the blonde if she'd like a drink the moment they have crossed the main door. Alex would kindly accept the offer and… or maybe she won't want a drink. She wasn't sure about that part yet. But the blonde was positive that at some point of the afternoon they will end curled up on the brunette's couch, watching whatever was on the TV and just enjoying each other's presence. The simple thought of it made Alex's melt down.

It hadn't been a hard job for the Cabot family to notice the goofy grin Alex had been showing off during dinner that night. That, added to the lack of participation in the arguments and chats shared throughout the evening made everyone wonder what was possibly going thru the teenager's sharp mind. Her mother was the only who had the audacity to interrupt the girl's thoughts.

"Do you know what you want to do for your birthday, Alex?" Irene asked gently and took a sip from her glass of wine.

The mention of her name made Alex startled a little and effectively dragged her out from her daydreaming. "Um, no. Not yet…" She begun and looked down to her plate, wondering if she should mention her plans for Friday or not. "Actually…" Well, she was going to have let them know about it sooner or later, wasn't she? "I was hoping to sleepover at Olivia's this Friday so we could go over unusual options. I feel like doing something a little bit more peculiar than a regular party this year." Alex spoke without looking at anyone's eyes and ate a piece of her food once she had finished her phrase.

Both Alex's parents tried to hide the chokes they almost had at the mention of their daughter's plans for Friday night.

Thomas looked for Alex's gaze until it meet his. A severe glare was sent from the man's eyes and the teenager swallowed. They were going to talk this over after dinner and he was letting her know that.

As for Irene's reaction, the middle age woman didn't say much to it. She couldn't forbid her daughter from going to the brunette's. After all, all she knew was that they were friends and that aren't friends supposed to have sleepovers?

Thankfully for Alex, Amy was the first one to speak. "I want to sleep at Olivia's too!" The small blonde objected and claimed her ticket to the sleepover. "We can watch 'Finding Nemo' and eat candies and I can lend you my dolls so we can dress them up and—"

"And I'm sure you can do that any other time Amy. But I think that this Friday Alex and Olivia will want to be by themselves and hang out together like big girls. Why don't you invite Kelli over? You can do all those fun things with her too!" Irene tried to persuade her youngest daughter. "Besides, I was hoping you could help me making some cookies on Friday." She said, knowing how much Amy loved to cut the dough with the heart shaped cookie cutter. "Maybe we can put some sprinkles over them too."

The little girl's eyes and smile widened as she forgot about spending her Friday with the 'big girls' and filled her mind with thoughts about her favorite type of cookies. Amy turned to Alex. "I'm sorry Lexi but I'm not gonna be able to join you this Friday. Please say to Olivia I'm sorry." Everyone laughed at the kid's statement.

"It's okay, Amy. I'll let her know how sorry you feel about it." The older blonde replied with a smile on her face.

* * *

><p>"That was your way of asking my permission?" Thomas angrily entered to his daughter's bedroom after dinner, reclaiming for an explanation. "Because if that was it and you were thinking it'd work, you were wrong, young lady." He spoke pointing to Alex.<p>

"It wasn't. The topic surged and I thought it'd be a nice way of telling mom. And I didn't believe I had to ask for a formal permission. I mean, I sleep at other friends' houses pretty often without specifically asking you if you're fine with it, I guess I assumed you weren't going to have any problems if I just announced it." The blonde said calmly, taking off her glasses and setting them over her nightstand.

"And I wouldn't if I thought Olivia was just a friend, Alex but…" He started but his daughter interrupted him.

"But, what? You said you respected her, you said she respected you and respected me. So why can't I just spend the night there?" She asked, pressing Thomas to go right to his point, suspecting which one was her father's fear and understanding it.

"Alex, I don't know if I'm comfortable with the thought of you two sleeping in the same apartment, together, with you still being sixteen." He said, filled less with anger and more with all the classic father's concerns than when he had walked through the bedroom's door.

"So you're just assuming that we're gonna have sex, aren't you?" Alex snapped, partly because she was slightly hurt by her father's assumptions but a bigger part because she knew that would help her to convince her dad into letting her go.

Thomas' eyes widened in shock. He certainly wasn't expecting his daughter to be so direct and straightforward with him when it came to more… private subjects. He swallowed and searched for his voice before speaking. "Hm, yes. In some way, I am. I'm sorry to do that but I'm your father, Al. Every father knows the time will come but I just don't think you're ready yet to something so important and if I'm capable of avoiding it to happen, I will do what I can." He said.

Alex looked at him, she understood his reasons. Rationally, she did. But they were so many things she wanted to tell him that she couldn't keep them inside her head. "Dad, I…" She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. "I lost my virginity months ago." She confessed in a whisper and grabbed her father's hand. The man squeezed it and encouraged his eldest daughter to speak.

"Is not something I'm proud of, but I won't deny it either. I was drunk, I was at a party and I wish it hadn't happen but it did and I can't change it now." The blonde softened her eyes. "I know that I'm not ready to do that again. I think I'm still emotionally healing from that one time. I'm still ashamed of what happened and I don't intend on repeating it again anytime soon." Alex made a small pause before continuing. "The only other two people who know about this are Trevor and Olivia. I told her the very first day I met her. I don't know why but I'm glad I did it. Olivia is pure chivalrousness. She wouldn't even try to make me do anything I'm not ready for. She treats me way better than I deserve. She invited me to stay at her place so we could have privacy, but not that kind of. We just want to spend some time together without people around us. I swear to you nothing will happen."

The blonde spoke with honesty and every word stood in her father's mind without vanishing. The older man rethought and studied every one of them very carefully before returning the same level of honesty to his daughter. He made mental math to realize that 'months ago' he was intensively immersed into his political campaign. He cursed himself for letting that absorb so much of him he hadn't even noticed his daughter was going through her hardest times. "Alex… I… I'm sorry. I wish I had known. I wish I had been here for you and supported you." Thomas stayed silent for a moment. "I know it won't be the same now, but if you ever feel like talking about it, I want you to know that you can tell me anything; that we can talk about anything you want and share everything with each other. I'm here for you, honey. At least I am now." He said with a sad smile.

"I don't blame you for not knowing, Dad." Thomas heard his girl's words and realized just how much Alex had grown up. She recognized in her a specific ability that she had clearly inherited from her mother; both blondes knew exactly what to say to someone in the exact moment they needed to hear it.

He smiled at his daughter with warm. "I do, but that's not something you can change, Al. I want you to promise me that you won't hesitate in talking to me about anything, would you please do that for me, honey?"

The young teenager nodded and smiled. "Does this mean I can spend the night at Olivia's?" She asked and earned his father's out loud laugh.

"Probably. I still have a meeting with her tomorrow."

"Yeah, she told me about that. Don't be too harsh on her, would you?" Alex requested him. "I don't want her to run away because you scared her with 'the talk'."

Another grin was flashed towards the woman as her father walked to the door. "I'll try." He said sincerely. "Good night, Alex."

"Night Daddy."

**Any kind suggestions, commentaries or critics are welcomed! Click the button below, review and tell me if you like this story or not!**


	39. Thinking about an 'Us'

**A/N: Hey everyone out there! Thank you thank you thank you for your amazing reviews! I LOVE to read them! Seriously, I love them! **

**Now, there's a fact that was misunderstood last chap and I'm _so _sorry about that guys, my bad! I tried to fix it on this chap but probably will more in the next ones. What I'm trying to explain is that Alex is _not_ spending her birthday with Olivia and only Olivia. They're going to _talk _about her Bday and pick up some cool stuff to do that day. I hope it didn't mix things up for you ! Sorry again!**

**New chapter up next and I hope you like it!**

Thomas walked through the master bedroom's door and heard his wife's voice as soon as it was closed.

"So you're just okay with Alex spending the night at Olivia's? Even though she's 16 and Olivia's 24? You really have no worries about that?" The middle aged blonde asked her husband with her arms crossed over her chest and truly concerned about her child's welfare. The New York City Mayor sighed and looked at her with tired eyes. "Don't sigh at me like that! You cannot tell me you haven't noticed the way they are around each other!" Irene accused.

The man shook his head. "I'm not saying that and I'm not treating you as if you had a mental illness for noticing that either, Irene." He spoke calmly.

"Then why are you so relaxed about them spending the night together?!" The mother-of-four was getting more and more irritated by her husband's lack of explanation. It had been hard for her to keep her mouth shut during dinnertime. She had wanted to tell Alex she wasn't going to Olivia's and that was it. But Irene knew better, she knew she had to breathe and think everything twice. She had to speak with her husband first. But what could she do if he was being unreasonable?

Thomas walked towards his wife and held her hands in a soft, warm grasp in the attempt of soothing the woman he loved. "Now I'm the one asking, haven't you noticed the way they are with each other? Haven't you seen the way they look at the other one? The way Olivia looks at Alex?" He made a careful use of every word, having experience with the task in due to his job as a politician and his law degree. "We've both seen behind those eyes, Irene. That girl… she's special. She cares about Alex. She _really _cares about her." He made emphasis where he wanted to and continued. "If Alex was spending the night at anyone else's home that was the same age Olivia is, I would have been the first one to oppose. But I trust her. I trust them both. And I believe that if we both trust them and if we let them know that, it would encourage them to trust us too."

Irene remained silently thinking. Was Thomas right? Were Alex and Olivia as scared as she was? She knew Olivia was an amazing young woman—she had known that from day one— so why to not trust her? Hadn't she proved herself? Hadn't the brunette proved she truly cared for Alex?

The blonde woman knew she wasn't being fair with the female guard.

"So what do you say? We show them we trust them so they can trust us or we let them think we're the bad guys?" Thomas said almost sweetly, moving his hands from his wife's hands to her forearms and then to her back. He started a low paced, circled massage on Irene's back. He looked to the tired eyes in front of him and didn't pull away when the woman fell into his arms and hold onto him. Thomas' hands moved now to the golden locks of hair. He tangled his fingers with silky tresses and simply held his wife.

The mother-of-four embraced her husband and didn't let him go. Irene was confused and hoped to find her lost wisdom in the man's arms. One single blue tear ran through her cheek and landed on Thomas' shoulder. How could she do the right thing without jeopardizing her daughter's heart and safety? How could she just let go her little girl? She wanted to do what was best for Alex and she thought she had been doing it but as soon as she'd heard Thomas' words on it she didn't trust her judgment anymore. What if he was right? What if she was wrong? What if—

"I know you're scared. I am too." Irene interrupted her thoughts to listen to her husband's voice. "I've given a lot of thought to this myself, if I am being honest. I was… I am just as scared and confused as you are now. I want to do whatever makes Al happier but I don't want that to make her suffer later." He made a small pause and pulled his wife slightly away so their gazes could meet. "Earlier this week, when Olivia came to me saying she didn't trust herself enough to be Alex's guard… that moment, that action, the fact that she did such an honest thing… that was what made me realize that I _had_ to trust her. That she deserved my trust, our trust. And that she wasn't going to take it for granted." His hand caressed Irene's pale cheek. "She does really care for Alex."

The blonde woman nodded with a sad smile. "I know, I know." She said softly and ran her fingertips over her forehead, rubbing it. "I know." Irene sighed and placed her hands on each side of her hips. "So you think we should let them be and trust they won't unconsciously fail us?" She asked impartially.

Thomas nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I believe in them, together and individually."

Irene looked at him without showing any emotion. She glanced at the bedroom's floor and nodded quickly. "Okay." She said and that was enough to let Thomas know the conversation was finished.

* * *

><p>Alex sat at her American History classroom wishing she could simply press fast-forward and skip everything up until the next day. It didn't matter she had been caught daydreaming the previous night during dinner; she had still spent the entire morning doing so.<p>

The young blonde could smell the coffee brewing itself as she imagined her body being spooned by Olivia's in the early Saturday morning. The simple idea of the brunette's warm breath against her neck made Alex wear a soft, relaxed beam. Everything in her felt in peace. It was the second period of Alex's Thursday morning and she couldn't feel more in ease with herself and the world.

The bell rang and the teenager walked to her locker with a dreamy air surrounding her and her Thursday's guard following small feet behind her. She was putting away some books when she saw Maura coming near her. "Hey!" Alex said with a big grin.

"Hi." Maura shot a confused look. "Since when you are so joyful on Thursdays? I thought you loathed your deputy guards." She said without even considering one of them was just a few feet apart.

Alex giggled and sighed. "I know. I'm sorry about that. I know I must have been a bitch every 'substitute guard' day." She sincerely said.

"Hm, yeah, basically. It's not like you were a handful or something." Maura nodded and shrugged with a half-smile that turned into a full one after Alex gave her a killing glare. "Hopefully, you'll get used to the idea of someone that's _not_ Olivia being your shadow so I can also relearn to enjoy Thursdays." The petite teenager spoke complementing her words with movements of her hands.

The taller blonde closed her locker and laid her back against it, her arms down over her lap holding two books and her gaze looking somewhere behind Maura with a tranquil and untroubled smile.

"What's going on with you?" The honey blonde asked her friend with a grin of her own over her face.

"Why's there something going on with me?" Alex asked softly, almost in a whisper.

Maura raised her eyebrows. "Geez, I don't know. Maybe the fact that you're smiling to the high school hallway has something to do with me thinking there's recently been a change in your life." She said with an irony not habitual in herself.

Alex bit her lower lip and debate whether to tell Maura the truth or not. She knew she shouldn't say anything, or if she did she should at least ask Olivia about it but God! She'd been hiding her feelings ever since she'd met the brunette! And Maura was best friend, she could trust her. She had to trust her.

"Are you going to say something or you're just going to show off your smile for little longer?" Maura teased, already happy for her close friend.

The taller blonde returned from her thoughts and realized which one the setting was. They were in the high school hallway; with a guard standing just meters away from them. She couldn't speak with Maura there. "I'll show it off until classes' are over. Why don't we go to my house after school and I'll unveil the mystery for you?" Alex said trying to give her phrase a sense of clandestineness.

* * *

><p>"I think we're done then. Did you write everything down?" Olivia heard Thomas speaking and took in her hands the notes she had taken during their talk.<p>

She nodded and mentally read the list. "I have all the things your son and daughter can't do, eat or say; theirs and your wife's timetables of the days I'll be with them and my new time schedule including where I have to be every day."

Thomas smiled softly at the young brunette. "Great. Then I'll officially see you again on Monday since you're unfortunate enough to start your week with me." He joked.

"I can't complain; I asked for the change, sir." Olivia said with a fake defeated look and then grinned.

"You have a point there, Olivia. But please, don't ever call me Sir, or Mr. Mayor or anything like that when there's no need to." He told her and when he received a nod from the brunette he carelessly opened one of his desk's drawers and relocated some papers. He then spoke again without looking to Olivia. "You're practically part of the family after all." Thomas said and when all he could hear was silence he smiled, knowing he had accomplished his mission by leaving the guard startled and waiting for another commentary that would explain his first one.

"Hm…I…." Olivia mumbled, trying to find the words she wanted to say. What was Thomas talking about? Did he know about her and Alex? Was he simply being nice? Had Irene told him about her suspicions and he was now questioning her? God, she knew she had had been more prepared for their meeting. She knew something like this was going to happen. She had sensed it.

But then… if he was questioning her it hadn't seemed like. His tone of voice didn't sound harsh or accusatory by any means. It sounded welcoming and teasing. _Familyish. _

What did he expect her to say?

"You know, Olivia. I am a father..." He begun and the brunette assumed nothing good would come out of his speech. "…and as one, I love my children and they will always be the most important thing in my life. I want the best for them. I want them to grow up and be their better selves, to use every gift they have as a tool to build the lives they deserve."

Olivia's eyes attempt to wet themselves but the brunette took a deep breath and saved her tears from even forming._ 'Just tell me I can't have her.' _Olivia pleaded in her mind, knowing what Thomas was telling her and wanting it to end as soon as possible. Secretly, deep inside she had always known that what she and Alex shared was too good to last.

"I love my daughter, Olivia." Thomas said. "And she deserves the best she can have."

_'Go. Say it. Tell me I'm not enough. Make me realize it.' _

Olivia dug her nails deep into her skin and tried to concentrate her attention in the slight pain it provoked instead giving it to the man's words.

"So I expect you to give that to her. I expect you to take care of her, to put her first in your life and primarily, to respect her, my wife and myself."

All the gloom and worry in Olivia's eyes was replaced by genuine surprise and disbelief. She attempted telling herself to look happy and thankful but the brunette couldn't trust her ears to realize she wasn't hearing ideas of her mind.

The older man saw the confusion in the young woman's face and spoke more tenderly. "I've always known." He confessed to her. "I think I've knew even before you did. So I had enough time to figure out what I was going to say to you when the time asked for it. I'm sorry that you didn't feel like you could trust Irene and me enough to tell us about what you girls felt. I wish things had been simpler for the two of you, as I am sure it must've been difficult to fall for someone the settings told you not to. I wanted you to know that you have my blessing. I assumed that under these circumstances you might actually need it." He concluded and looked softly to Olivia who remained speechless.

The brunette was motionless. She couldn't believe a word of what Thomas was saying. Had she heard correctly? Had he said the words he had? It couldn't be. It just couldn't be real. He knew about them. He knew what she felt for his daughter, and he was okay with it? She wasn't going to lose her job? To be charged and placed in jail? She wasn't going to be completely removed from Alex's life?

"Thank you." Olivia's mouth spoke by itself since the guard didn't thought she could find her voice. "You have no idea how much this means to me… to us." She said with a smile and felt her heart jump as the mention of an 'us' and the realization that they could start thinking about a proper 'us'.

"You don't have to thank me, just don't disappoint me. I trust you, Olivia. I've trusted you to keep my daughter safe and now I trust you her happiness. Don't disappoint me because I can assure you that you will regret it." He said firmly.

"I won't." Olivia replied with a smile.

* * *

><p>Maura and Alex entered to the Mayor's mansion and crossed paths with the taller blonde's younger brother. Caleb past through them as if the girls weren't in the same room he was. "It's also nice to see you." Alex snapped loudly.<p>

The young boy turned around and his gaze met his sister's. "Don't mess with me, Al. I don't feel like."

"You don't feel like what Caleb? I wasn't bullying you, I was reminding you to be well mannered." Alex told him pointing to Maura, trying to tell her brother that he should greet her friend.

"Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Don't you every shut up sis?" he said coldly.

Alex dropped her jaw. What was going on with her brother? What was wrong with him?

Caleb took his sister's silence as a queue to leave and made use of it. "Have a nice day girls." He said before leaving but not without a dark smile in his face and his voice being everything but cordial.

"What's up with him?" Maura asked Alex, surprised by the usually polite boy's recent behavior.

The tall teen shrugged. "I have no clue. Maybe he's in his teenage rebellion phase or something." She replied and started walking towards her room with her friend behind.

"Well, that might be true since not all teenage rebellion takes the form of violation of rules like illegal activities as vandalism or theft. Often teenage rebellion takes form in the violation of societal norms. And as these norms are set in place as much by teens themselves as by their adult caretakers, teenage rebellion within teenage culture is also commonplace." Maura explained.

"Thank you Wikipedia." Alex said with a laugh and opened her bedroom's door. "In your theory, would I be the adult caretaker or this would be an example of rebellion within teenage culture?" She asked.

Maura hesitated before answering. "Hm, that's a good question actually. Because maybe he sees you as an adult or maybe for him you're just his sister who's only a few years older. A variant could be-" Maura suddenly stopped talking when Alex closed the door. "Okay, I'll tell you that later. Now I want to know what you've been daydreaming about between the school's walls."

Alex's cheeks blushed into a soft pink and a sly grin took over the blonde's face. She sighed and let her back fell carelessly over her bed. "I'm just happy." She simply said.

Maura smiled. "That, I can see it." The petite teen said with care.

"I..." Alex unsuccessfully tried to find words that could properly explain what being with Olivia make her feel. "Let's just say that the odds of love had been good to me." The blonde merely said to her friend and just as Maura was opening her lips to speak Alex cellphone rang.

Alex's grin widened when she checked the sender. Maura's lips curved and she took the phone away from Alex's grip. "I knew it!" The honey blonde exclaimed with amusement and confirmed her theory by seeing the smile in her friend's face. "I should be a detective; they surely need someone with my skills of perceptiveness in the Police Department."

"Nice job, Detective Isles. Now, since I don't see a warrant I would like you to give me back my phone." Alex said but Maura didn't pay attention to her friend's request and picked up the call instead before pressing the speaker button.

"Well, hello Olivia." She said with a smirk on her face and used her hands to instruct Alex to don't speak for a minute.

_"Maura? Is everything okay? Why do you have Alex's cellphone? Is she fine? Why does your voice sound like that? Are you okay? Where are you guys? Do you need me to go there? Why didn't you call me bef—" _

"OLIVIA!" Alex stopped the brunette's rushed speech and let her breath. "Everything's okay. I'm fine, we're at my house and Maura's just being her exasperating self." As she heard her friend's words, the petite girl nudged Alex. "Hey!" The tall teenager complained. "And now she's attacking me. I might need you to come down here." She said laughing.

_"I don't really see Maura being aggressive enough for me to have to go there." _Olivia laughed along the two younger females.

"Finally someone's on my side. Thanks, Olivia." Maura said and Olivia replied with a 'No problem'.

Alex was the next one to speak. "How did it go with my dad?" She asked and Maura spoke before Olivia could answer.

"And please feel free to speak. My detective skills and I have been suspecting what was going on between the two of you for a while and we have confirmed it completely a few minutes ago."

"Just before she stole my phone." Alex tried to clarify the situation for Olivia.

The teenagers heard Olivia's laughed and let the older woman speak. _"It's good to know you know, Maura. And, Alex?" _ She said sweetly.

"Yes?"

_"It would have been also good to know your father knew. It could have prevented me from the heart-attack I had inside his office." _

Alex laughed. "I'm sorry." She said casually. "He made me promise I wouldn't tell you and since he was practically giving us his blessing I wasn't going to complain." The teenager explained.

_"I'm pretty sure he enjoyed my motionless face when he spoke to me. I was petrified for almost the whole time I spent with him." _Olivia said. _"But I'm glad he told us he knew. Now I feel my bag half as heavy as it was."_

The blonde smiled, having felt the feeling herself only days ago. "Did he mention the condition he's giving us?" She asked.

_"Telling your mom before your birthday? Yeah, he did. We still have a week to figure that one out, but if he's okay with it I don't think it will take us that much to convince Irene." _The brunette said and continued speaking when she heard silence in the other line. _"We can split our time tomorrow and decide both when we're talking to her and how you want to spend your birthday." _

"You're not doing a normal party?" Maura asked Alex and the tall teen shook her head.

"I want something a little bit more original this year, though nothing that involves too much height will be an option. Not with almost everyone in the family having vertigo." The blonde said.

"Actually, the fear of heights is called acrophobia and has been linked to fear of loud noises, fear of the poor structural integrity of buildings and instinct rooted in poor balance." Maura explained.

****Any kind suggestions, commentaries or critics are welcomed! Click the button below, review and tell me if you like this story or not!****


	40. She's your Mother

**A/N: We've reached Chapter 40! WOW! Thanks everyone who's reviewed and add this story to their faves/alerts - I really really appreciate your support!**

**Now, we have a new chapter here and I'm proud to say that I really liked how this one turned out to be! It's not longest one but it isn't the shortest one either so I'm okay with its length AND we have a new SVU character that we all adore so that's a plus, anyway and again, I pretty much liked it. So I hope you guys will too! Enjoy!**

Irene paced around her house, cellphone in hand. She wanted to press the green button and made the call she desperately wanted to but something kept drawling her back. It had been too long since she had called that number.

She wanted to prove she could handle things by herself. She didn't need anyone's help; she was a smart, grown-up woman that could live her own life without someone telling her what to do. _She _could do it and she could do it alone. She had done it until now and she certainly would be able to handle herself now.

The blonde middle-aged woman threw her phone away and didn't look back to it... at least for an hour or so.

* * *

><p>Alex sat next to Olivia in her therapist's empty waiting room. It was the first and probably only time the brunette would be waiting for her outside instead of another guard and Alex couldn't be happier. Her hands were on top of Olivia's lap being embraced by the older woman's own. Just sitting there, holding hands felt like paradise to the young blonde.<p>

Melinda Warner leaded a young man outside her office. "I'll see you next Friday, Josh." She kindly said as the man walked out of the building. The woman spotted her next patient in the room and smiled when she found it. "Hi, Alex." She said warmly and the thin blonde stood up with her accompaniment following her moves. "And I'm guessing you're Olivia?"

The guard politely offered her hand to the psychologist while smiling. "I am. I didn't know I was famous." She said as her gaze went to Alex and then back to Melinda.

"I don't about being famous but you're certainly enough important for being my main topic every session." The blonde admitted with a smile as she saw the other two women shake their hands.

"Then you better go inside and talk about me in there, I don't know if I want to know what you say about me." Olivia joked and Alex instantly replied.

"All good, I promise." She laid a gentle kiss over Olivia's cheek.

The brunette smiled. "Guess I'm gonna have to trust you." She said as Alex walked to the door. "Nice meeting you, doctor."

Melinda gave her a warm smile and replied before entering to the room. "You too, Miss Benson."

Once she had shut the door, the woman walked towards her regular spot and didn't wait for Alex to talk first. "I'm glad to see that big grin on your face." She said sincerely.

"I'm showing it off today." Alex told her and their session started.

* * *

><p>A hand brushed his desk and purposely made all the books fall onto the classroom's floor. "Not really sorry." A masculine voice spoke to him and showed a grin.<p>

A stupid, ironic, malicious grin.

Caleb shut himself down. He couldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing it had bothered him.

The young boy grabbed his books and placed them on top of his desk again.

Some laughs that came from the back of the classroom could be heard along with the mention of his name.

_I don't care. I don't care. _He repeated in his mind over and over and over, trusting that repetition will truly make him stop caring so much.

He continued writing something down. He didn't really know what he was writing but it didn't matter as long as it kept his mind entertained. Suddenly something -maybe a paper ball- hit his back. _Don't you dare to turn around. _

He wouldn't give in. He wouldn't show them how they make him feel, not if that was exactly what they were expecting him to do.

The bell rang. Caleb gathered his stuff and silently quickly made his way out of the room.

"How did Biology go?" Fin, who had been waiting outside the classroom, asked the soon-to-be teen. Caleb shrugged and that was the only reply he offered. "I see." He said and hoped the kid would make some talk with him –or anyone- and stop being so lonely.

When he had met the boy, Fin hadn't picked him up as someone so quiet. But yet, Caleb was twelve to thirteen and the older man knew it was a complicated age to be. He patted the boy's shoulder twice and followed behind him.

* * *

><p>"George?" Irene's voice asked once she heard the dial tone end.<p>

"Irene? Is that you? Is everything okay?" The short man asked, genuinely concerned by his late patient.

"It's me… I just…" She sighed. "I'm sorry I called; I just…" Irene made a pause. This was harder than she had expected it to be. The man on the other line simply waited in silence, knowing how the phrase will end but wanting the woman to end it by herself. "I think it'll be great if I went back, just a couple of sessions. I need to clean my mind and organize my thoughts and… well; now I believe I should have never left therapy. At least not for the reasons I did." Irene admitted.

"Why don't you come by? I have a free spot between three and four. Think you can make it?"

Irene breathed deeply. "I'll be there."

* * *

><p>Alex walked out of Melinda's office, said bye to her and went to where Olivia was waiting for her. As soon as the brunette saw the blonde she stood up and got ready to leave.<p>

The younger woman grabbed the older one's hand and just smiled. Olivia turned to Alex when she felt the touch and smiled back. They left the building holding hands. "Don't you love this?" Alex spoke with an air of peace and comfort Olivia certainly haven't heard before. "Being so careless with the PDA and I don't know… out?"

Olivia giggled. "It's like coming out of the closet all over again but without the worst parts." She said and Alex laughed for a second but then her face turned serious.

"We still have to tell my mom." She mentioned dryly.

The brunette bitted her lower lip. "If you'd let me, I'd like to tell her myself. I'm her guard on Tuesday and I've already practiced my speech." She said with a half-smile.

Alex gave a confused look to Olivia. "I don't know Liv… She might hit you with something if I'm not there to tell her to behave."

"Then she'll have an unapt guard for the rest of the day and I don't think that'll be any good for her." Olivia pointed out. "And, honestly? I don't want you to be there if things get to that point. I don't think they would but I wouldn't like you to be there, she's your mom, Alex. I don't want to be the reason of why your relationship messes up."

"Hey." Alex used her hand to stop their walk. "If she has anything against us and our relationship screws up, you're not the cause of it; it's her. She has no right over whom I fall for, and certainly it isn't your fault if she doesn't agree with what my heart says." She softly said.

Olivia sighed. "Just promise me you won't hate her if she doesn't want us to be together. You won't blame her or argue with her. I don't want you to lose the special bond you have with her. You only have one mother; I don't want you to lose her."

The blonde looked at the older woman and stared at her in awe. The woman in front of her couldn't be more perfect. "For you? I'll try to not hit her." She said and the mood lightened as Olivia spoke once more and they resumed their walk to the car.

"I'm sorry but if you two are actually going to fight, my money's on your mom. You're as light as a feather Alex." The brunette laughed.

"Watch your tongue, Benson. You don't know about my past as a karate fan."

Olivia's eyes widened. "Karate? Really? You practiced it?"

Alex nodded. "A year while I was nine. It got a little uncomfortable with the glasses and I was scared of using contacts back then, so I quit. It was pretty fun."

"Damn I want pictures of that." The brunette said as she reached to open the car's door for Alex.

The blonde shook her head. "You are not getting them, period."

* * *

><p>"It's been a while." George Huang said as both he and Irene took their old regular places on his office.<p>

"Seventeen months." The blonde stated. "I… I shouldn't have stopped coming here. If I needed more time I should have stop doing something else but not this."

"What made you realize that?" The Chinese man asked and started taking notes.

"How messed up my head is right now." Irene admitted with a sad smile. "During Thomas' campaign things started to get a little tense. I put too much pressure on the kids and now I realize that. After he won everything seemed to go back to normal and I thought we were all okay and had survived as a family to that stage…" She made a pause and tried to organize her thoughts. "…but something's just not right anymore. We only act like a family when everyone else comes and we have a big, full family dinner. On regular basis, we just live together. My older kids don't speak to me anymore about their issues. I've barely had contact with Phillip since the last time he visited us; Caleb hides in his room and doesn't leave it until dinner and Alex has a crush on her 24-year-old guard but won't tell me about it."

"Do you speak with your husband about this?"

"He's just… I don't think he realizes what's going on inside the house right now. His head is deep inside his work and making the people proud of choosing him. I don't blame him but it wouldn't hurt me if he stopped thinking everything is okay." Irene looked down to her lap but her gaze quickly came back to her psychologist's eyes. "We talked about Alex last night. He's okay with her having a relationship with a 24-year-old and has no doubt it won't make her any harm! I just… I try to think about it and give it a chance but I really can't see how she won't get hurt!"

"Why do you think she'll get hurt? How's this 24-year-old person like?"

Irene sighed. "Olivia is great. She's caring, she's selfless, she's smart and funny and I'm sure she's the perfect catch. It's not Olivia I have a problem with."

"It's the gap between their ages." George added.

"Exactly. How can they build a real relationship while one of them is still in high school and the other has already finished college?"

"Do you believe Alex will suffer because of this relationship?"

"Of course she will!" Irene exclaimed. "They're living completely different stages in their lives! I don't want to see my kid suffering when they realize the timing is not the best one."

"Has Alex had a girlfriend before?"

Irene slightly shook her head. "She has dated. But she never told me about anything truly serious with anyone."

"Don't you think your fear relates more to the fact she's growing up than to whether she's gonna get hurt or not?" He spoke quietly, giving the woman enough space to think about his words. "She's a teenager. It's safe to say she'll cry over any ended relationship; even more if she thinks she loves that person. You said Olivia was the perfect catch. Then why is her age a real problem?"

The blonde woman sighed. "I don't know. It just doesn't seem right."

"Irene, you cannot choose love for your daughter. She's about to turn seventeen. She's old enough to love whomever she wants to, and, if the only inconvenient here is the age gap… then that's a problem they'll have to resolve by themselves as a couple. It isn't something you can prevent."

Irene remained in silence for a few minutes and replayed every word the short man had said. She had a lot to give a thought to.

**Next chapter will probably be all about AO and their sleepover- How do you think that will be like? **

**Any kind of suggestions, commentaries or critics are welcomed! **

**Click the button below, review and tell me your thoughts on the story!**


	41. The Sleepover

**A/N: I cannot tell you how excited I am about this chapter. It's the longest one I've ever written and it nearly has 5000 words! Thumbs up for me! Okay, okay. Now, thanks for all of you who add this story to their faves and alerts and for all the awesome reviews you give me! _Thank you!_**

**__****It's _ALL_ AO in this chapter so we have plenty of our favorite ladies today! ****And here it is... the sleepover people! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! **

Olivia and Alex jumped into the blonde's car after leaving Dr. Warner's office building. "Okay, black belt. Why don't we make a stop at some supermarket before we go to my place?" Olivia said laughing.

"I will make the stop if you never call me 'black belt' again." The teenager told the older woman who gave her a smirk.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do to me, Miss Karate?" She asked playfully.

Alex replied firstly with a killing glare that should have been enough to make the brunette's joy disappear if she hadn't been so engrossed in making fun of Alex's late activity. Thankfully for Olivia, the blonde stared at her grin too long and lost all her evilness in it. "You are so going to sleep on the couch." Alex said laughing along with Olivia and the older woman placed her hand sweetly over Alex's. "Anyway, why do you want to go to buy groceries? I thought you didn't have any cooking skills."

"And you're right, I don't." She laughed. "But I can manage to make some pasta and I thought it would be nice if we cooked it together instead of ordering something in. That is if you're not going to burn my stove of course, then I'll be glad to have some takeout!"

The blonde laughed relaxed. "Pasta will be great and I would love to cook—or at least attempt to— with you. I would love doing anything with you." She said with sweet eyes and blushed a moment after she spoke. Olivia giggled as she recognized some pink appearing on the younger woman's cheeks. "Too cheesy?" Alex asked with a shy smile.

"Never." The brunette replied sincerely.

* * *

><p>Olivia unsuccessfully tried to manage to open her apartment's door by herself. Only a few minutes ago, she had insisted Alex on carrying both the groceries and the blonde's sleeping backpack alone. The teenager had been about to oppose to the older woman's craving but she hadn't said anything, knowing that rather sooner than later Olivia would find it complicated to carry everything.<p>

Now, four floors up and waiting outside the brunette's home, she knew she had guessed correctly. "Your exceeded chivalrousness is close to make you look stupid." Alex said laughing and reached for Olivia's keys. "Let me open." She grabbed the object before her guard could refuse and unlocked the door. Alex pushed the door open and motioned the brunette to step inside.

"Thanks." Olivia said low and went inside her apartment. She threw Alex's bag over the couch and started saving all the groceries in the empty cupboards.

"You don't wanna check there aren't any spiders or roaches or something else in there? I believe there was a nice family of aliens settling down there." Alex laughed as she saw Olivia filling the previously blank cabinets that obviously haven't been touched in a while.

Olivia glared at her. "Hey, I can live of takeout without much trouble so why do I have to fill these with things I don't know how to cook?"

Alex laughed and opened the fridge to save some of the stuff they had bought. "Doesn't a having healthy alimentation motivates you enough to learn how to cook?" Alex asked with a smile and felt hands placing themselves over her hips.

"Not if that's an excuse good enough to get you to come here and cook for me." Olivia's warm breath invaded Alex's neck.

"I don't believe you need an excuse for that, Olivia."

There was certainly something in the way the blonde spoke that made the brunette melt. Something in Alex's diction made Olivia's knees fail her owner. She didn't know what was it, but Olivia was a hundred percent sure that it was one of the things that had made her fall for the younger woman. Her voice was unique.

"There's just something in the way you say my name that makes it sound a thousand times better." She told Alex.

"Better, huh?" The blonde picked up on the brunette's final word.

Olivia nuzzled into the pale neck and kissed the smooth skin slowly.

"_Hotter_."

Kiss.

"_Sexier_."

Kiss.

"_More sensual_."

Kiss.

"You can pick the word, Alex." She finished her trail of kisses with a final one placed just where the younger woman's neck and jaw ended and started, respectively.

"Olivia." Alex said huskily.

The brunette smirked at the mention of her name. "See what I mean?" She teased the young blonde as her fingertips went below Alex's shirt and caressed the soft skin of her belly.

Eyes shut down and jaw slightly opened, Alex turned on her heels to kiss her guard. Their lips met once, slowly, craving and desiring. Their gazes connected and Alex skillfully used her hand to close the fridge's door behind her, only to be pushed onto it by Olivia's body little seconds after.

Passion wasn't so gentle this time and Olivia's hungry lips seek for Alex's. The blonde didn't waste any time in denying Olivia a further entrance as she quickly widened her lips apart and let the brunette's tongue travel inside her mouth.

The submerged themselves into the other one and lost track of time and space. Suddenly, they heard a noise. An annoying noise that they both immediately recognized and one that made their mouths detached. Alex groaned with a roll of her eyes and Olivia reached into the back pocket of the blonde's jeans with an amused grin. "I don't know what it is that you believe so hilarious." Alex tried to complain with a serious voice but Olivia's smile was certainly contagious.

The brunette placed a finger over the blonde's lips and shushed her laughter as she took the cellphone out from Alex's pocket and placed it next to the young woman's ear right after pressing the green button. "Hello, Mom." Alex said and gripped her phone with one of her hands, the other one still hugging Olivia's hip.

"_Hi, Alex. Did you guys get to Olivia's?" _

Due to her physical proximity to the phone –and Alex—, Olivia could hear Irene's voice and understand every word the woman was saying. The brunette lowered her head to Alex's neck and resumed the trail of smooth kisses she had begun creating few minutes earlier.

"Aha." Alex hummed and bit her lower lip, rising up her knee and pushing the brunette's chest with her hand in order to pull Olivia away from her and even more, away from the cell's microphone.

Olivia saw the glare Alex's eyes sent to her and retained her mouth away from the blonde's tempting neck, but that didn't mean she was going to take her hands away from Alex's hips or even going to take more distance.

"_Do you have everything you need?" _Olivia nodded though Irene obviously couldn't see her. _"I saw your pajama pants over your bed, if you forgot them I can go and hand them to you and if you need some clothes or food or—"_

"Mom." Alex stopped the older woman from saying anything else. "Yeah, I forgot to bring nightclothes but I brought everything else that I needed with me. I can borrow some sleepwear from Liv, we're practically the same size; and I know several delivery numbers if the cooking fails. Don't worry. I've survived entire weekends at the mercy of Trevor; I have no doubt I can survive a night at Olivia's."

They heard a sigh that came from Irene's line. _"Alright. You call me if you need anything. I love you, Alex."_

"I will and I love you too." Alex looked Olivia in the eyes. "Mom." She said softly.

"_Yes darling?" _

"Liv says that if her cooking skills fail us tonight she's willing to let you give her some lessons."

The blonde saw the pink lips in front of her mouthing something that seemed like _You're mean._

"_Oh, then I hope for her own sake that she cooks an amazing dish tonight." _Irene said and after she goodbye her daughter, the conversation ended.

"Well, thank you for setting me up for a date with your mom. That's nice of you." Olivia said sarcastically but no harshly.

Alex laughed. "That's what you get from behaving improperly while I'm on the phone _with my mother_. Besides, I only gave you a reason to be extra attentive to my food tonight."

"That meaning, we won't be acting improperly during our voyage through the world of cuisine." Olivia kissed the tip of Alex's nose. "Are we clear?"

The teenager grinned in amusement and nodded. "Yes ma'am."

* * *

><p>"I swear I didn't do it on purpose!" Alex raised her hands up in innocence but had to place them over her belly so she would ease the pain she was getting from laughing so hard.<p>

Olivia half groaned half laughed. She opened the microwave to find its interior fully covered by the tomato sauce they had planned adding to their Italian meal. "Smells good." Olivia joked.

"You wanna taste it anyways?" Alex curiously asked.

The brunette raised an eyebrow and grabbed a spoon. She filled it with some of the sauce that had stayed inside the cup and placed it in front of Alex's face. "You go first."

Alex leant into the spoon and opened her mouth to savor the tomato sauce. But Olivia quickly moved the metal tool upwards, covering Alex's pale face with the red paste. "You're mean." The blonde complained.

The guard laughed hysterically and only noticed the younger girl grabbed a spoon of her own and filled it when the sauce landed over her neck and chest. Olivia dropped her jaw and stared at Alex. "Oh, you're gonna pay, Cabot." She playfully threatened.

"Am I?" Alex asked with an innocent look as she not-so-innocently filled her weapon twice and threw more sauce over Olivia.

The tall brunette looked down to her sauce-covered shirt and then to the blonde in front of her. "You better start running."

And Alex didn't hesitate in taking Olivia's advice. She went around the kitchen's breakfast bar and jumped onto the couch, trying to hide beneath a cushion. It didn't take Olivia much effort to catch the leggy blonde and corner her.

"Stop! Stop!" Alex begged Olivia as she belly-laughed when she felt sauce-filled fingers drawing unknown patterns over her skin.

After a few moments playing the victim, Alex submerged her hand into the pot of sauce that Olivia had brought with her and then placed the same hand over the brunette's cheek, bringing their lips together as she pulled Olivia in for a kiss.

Alex smiled into the kiss when she tasted sauce on the corner of Olivia's lips and pulled away. "Tastes great."

"I thought it would. But it definitely looks better on you." Olivia gently moved Alex's chin closer to hers. "Thank you for making it explode inside my microwave. Made me have a great time." She said lovingly and kissed Alex one more time before getting off the couch.

Olivia grabbed Alex's hand and helped her out of the sofa. Then, she walked back into the kitchen with pale hands hugging her from the back.

"Oh fuck." Olivia whispered as soon as she saw water boiling and remembered the pasta was inside it. She checked the timer and realized it had gone to zero somewhere between the explosion and their sauce battle. "We didn't hear the timer ring." She told Alex.

"They cannot be that bad." The blonde said as she took a fork and tried to catch one –and only one— spaghetti. "Okay. Maybe they are." She told Olivia after tasting the food.

They exchanged gazes and laughed. "You mentioned something about delivery food if our plans when wrong?" The brunette asked and turned the sink's faucet on to wash her hands. She caught a glimpse of Alex's nodding and once she had dried her hands Olivia walked towards a cupboard and extracted several deli menus from it. "What would you like to eat?"

Alex quickly looked at the papers being displayed in front of her and made her choice. "Pizza's fine for you?" She asked Olivia and smiled when she got a nod as a positive reply.

"Why don't you pick the one you want and make the call while I take a quick shower? That way I can prepare a nice bubble bath for you later and I'll also be properly dressed to pick up the food when it arrives." Olivia spoke softly.

"I like how that sounds." Alex replied with a small smile.

"I'll be out in ten." She gave her one last chaste kiss and hurried off to the bathroom.

Little minutes later and at the same moment Alex hung off the phone satisfied with her choice of meal, Olivia's cellphone rang.

The blonde got up from the couch and followed the sound of the ringtone. She saw the name being showed on the screen and stepped next to the bathroom's door. "Liv, Casey's calling!" She shouted high enough so the woman under the water could hear her. It was a simple action that made Alex smile, she reminded her mother doing the same thing to her father a thousand times, and the idea of having that kind of relationship with the tall brunette excited her.

"Could you pick up and tell her I'll call her back in a few?" Olivia's reply arrived to Alex's ears and the blonde did as she was asked.

"Hi, Casey. It's—"

"_Alex? What are you doing with Liv's phone? Oh God, please tell me you're not one of those girls who checks the other person's texts and calls and all that controlling bitch stuff 'cuz I swear I'll kill you."_

"What? No. No, of course not. Liv's showering, she asked me to tell you she'll call you back once she's out."

"_So you're at her place?" _Casey asked.

"Yeah, I'm spending the night here." After saying those words Alex easily pictured the smirk the redhead was now wearing so she decided to continue speaking before Casey could make any commentary that might be… inappropriate. "My birthday's next week and I still have no clue about what I want to do that day so we were going to do some research." She explained.

"_What about a paintball war?" _Casey suggested and Alex's eyebrow was raised.

"Paintball?"

"_Yeah, you know, everyone has weapon's filled with paint and you shoot the paint to your friends. I did it once and it was pretty amazing." _

"Hm... I'll… think about it. It doesn't sound bad."

"_It's hilarious, believe me." _Casey said. _"Well, Little Blonde. I gotta go. Tell Liv to not call me, you guys enjoy yourselves. I'll call her tomorrow. Please don't do anything illegal."_

Alex laughed. "We won't. Bye, Casey."

The blonde ended the conversation and walked around Olivia's apartment as she waited for the brunette to come out of the bathroom. Alex went back to a window with view to the street she had been staring at around an hour ago.

She opened it a little and felt a nice breeze ran through her skin. She closed her eyes and enjoyed it. A few moments after, she realized that though one cold breeze was nice it was getting cold outside so she started getting the window closed once away. Alex looked down to the streets and saw a car with two men inside. She observed them carefully. She could swear the same men had also been there the last time she had set her eyes on the street. Who were they?

Inside the bathroom, Olivia was getting dressed and preparing Alex's bath at the same time. Suddenly, she heard her name being called. But there was something strange, something else in Alex's voice— fear.

Olivia left what she was doing immediately and jogged to her living room with her hair wet and messy and an undershirt and NYPD sweatpants on. She located the blonde next to the window and instantly went to her. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" She asked.

"There's a car outside, Liv. Two men are inside of it, they've been there for over an hour, maybe more." Alex said without taking her eyes off the glass.

Olivia sighed. _I'm screwed. _She thought and took a grip of Alex's hand. "Come here." The brunette softly said and led the teenager towards a couch that was only a few feet away.

Alex looked at Olivia's expression and didn't understand what was happening. Why was Olivia so calmed? Did she know who those men were? Did she know why they were there? What wasn't Olivia telling her? _Why _was Olivia not telling her something?

"Liv, what's going on?" She asked confused.

Olivia sighed once again. "Alex… I…" Her voice faded off. "Those guys, they're, well… they're"

"They are what, Olivia?" The blonde asked demanding an answer, and a quick one.

"They are guards." She said and Alex looked at her just as confused as she was before. "I thought it would be better if you had someone else as a guard tonight. I told Cragen and he agreed so he told me there would be one or two of the guys on the street, just in case. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just didn't want you to be thinking about those two outside and get mad."

"Well of course I would get mad! I don't enjoy the fact that two guys are sitting on a car watching us!" Alex said and they kept silence for a moment. "But I know you did that because you care about me and I'm glad that you did it; because now you won't be worrying all night about what might happen to me if you don't stay alert." She spoke and silently congratulated herself for the mature words that were coming out of her mouth. Slowly, she was learning to control herself and to not let her first thoughts rule all of her words. "Although, you have to stop hiding things from me just because you think I won't like them. I'm a big girl, Liv. I understand that everything's not always how I want it to be and I can deal with that."

Olivia nodded. "I know." She said softly. "And I'm proud of you."

Alex slightly blushed and flashed a sweet smile to the brunette. Their gazes connected for a silent and comfortable moment until Alex spoke first. "You did mention something about a nice, relaxing bubble bath for me, didn't you?"

Olivia grinned and stood up from the couch. "I did. But you're gonna have to wait a few minutes, let's say… three? And it'll be ready." She extended her hand so the blonde could take it and use it as a help to also get up. "Come. You can pick some comfortable clothes to sleep in with while you wait."

* * *

><p>Olivia opened her apartment's door once again, this time, with their food in hand. She locked the door behind her and resumed her previous activities.<p>

Alex was having a calm –and hopefully long— bath so she had enough time to set everything as perfect as she wanted it to be. Cooking the meal themselves might have gone wrong but that didn't mean they couldn't have a romantic dinner.

She didn't want to do anything that might be _too much_. She knew Alex wouldn't want some extravagant or out of mind. The blonde was simple in that way and Olivia understood why. They were just getting used to being together freely, so they didn't need anything out of ordinary. They just needed each other and the small, almost imperceptible gestures the other one was willing to make.

Having that on mind Olivia pushed the couch slightly behind, giving enough space for them to sit on the soft rug and place the food over the coffee table if they wanted to. She turned off some of the lights, it wouldn't be too dark but the atmosphere wouldn't feel like it had felt moments earlier.

For a moment, she just stood in front of the new space she was creating. She bit her lip, debating whether to place some candles over the coffee table or not. Would it be too much? She surely didn't want something as silly and trivial as candles to ruin the night—_their _night_. _

"Oh screw it." Olivia muttered and walked towards a drawer from which she extracted some short cream-colored tapers.

She then went back to the small lounge and placed the candles over the coffee table. She had been close to set them on the floor but then she realized the chances of an unwanted accident happening would increase if she did so. The brunette lit the candles and stood behind the couch. Olivia looked at the scene and sighed, finally pleased with her work. She moved her feet back to the kitchen and took some plates for them.

Just as she was locating the dishes where she wanted them to be, she heard bare footsteps walking in the room and even before looking up to meet the pair of known blue eyes Olivia was already smiling. "Hey." She whispered and walked towards Alex. Once they were face-to-face, Olivia hooked her hands behind the younger woman's waist. "How was the water?"

Alex's gaze wandered between Olivia's soft eyes and the setting the brunette had created. She looked lovingly as the woman in front of her and put a lock of dark brown hair behind an ear. "As perfect as you." Alex spoke quietly and leant to give Olivia one simple kiss. "This place looks amazing." She made a pause. "You're too good for me."

Olivia shook her head. "No. I'm not." She said with an almost watery voice and Alex's blue eyes looked at her with confusion. "I wish I wouldn't have had to wait this long to do something like this. I wish we could simply go out on a date like everyone else. I wish I could have courted you properly because you deserve so much more than what I can give to you. I know that you don't need extravagantly romantic things to be happy but I would like to be able to do them anyway, to be free to take you out; to any place. But to just to be able to show you how much you mean to me and that I would do anything for you. I'm sorry I can't do those things for you yet, I hope this is enough to make it up to you."

Alex stared silently at Olivia for a moment and then spoke. "You listen to me and you listen to me carefully because I'm not going to repeat it ever again." She said firmly, lightly running her fingers through Olivia's hair. "First of all, it is _not_ your fault if we had to hide. It is not your fault that things didn't happen the way we daydreamed they would. It isn't your fault and it's not mine either. Okay?" She continued when she felt Olivia's almost imperceptible nod. "We don't cry because we couldn't go out and have a dinner-and-movie date, we smile because we shared beautiful things together. I don't care if they were little or meaningless to some. They were and they are special to _me_, Liv. They are special because they made me fall in love with you."

"And, please Liv, never, and I say _never_, think that I don't know that you love me. For God's sakes Olivia you took a bullet for me!" Alex said and her eyes nearly watered. "And even if you hadn't done that I wouldn't need any more proof than having you to look at my eyes for a second." She calmly spoke to Olivia. "Every time you look at me the only thing that comes out of your eyes is love and care and tenderness and I feel the luckiest girl in the whole world. Olivia you are… you're just this amazing woman that I can't believe is by my side. You don't have to prove anything to me. So please don't ruin this wonderful night by feeling like if you had to. Just relax and be your wonderful self." Alex's eyes observed Olivia's soft smile for a second before their lips innocently met.

"_You_ are too good for me." Olivia sincerely said.

Alex's smile widened and she shrugged. "Yeah, probably. I'm sorry if I can't help being this much perfect." She joked and the brunette bit her lip while she shook her head.

"And you're that much incorrigible." Olivia added and the couple sat over the comfortable rug.

Alex laughed and grabbed a slice of pizza for herself. She took a bite of it and realized she had forgotten to mention something to the brunette. "I know it's probably late and you might have already called her or forgotten to but Casey said that you didn't have to call her tonight. She'll call you again later."

Olivia nodded. She indeed had forgotten to call her friend back. "She said anything else?" She asked. "I hope she didn't scare you out."

The blonde shook her head. "Not yet." They both giggled. "She gave me an idea for my birthday." Alex said and Olivia curved her eyebrow. "Don't worry; it doesn't risk our lives or our liberty." She assured Olivia and the brunette laughed.

"I'm surprised her idea doesn't require any of those things to be lost." She joked and ate part of her own pizza slice. "What did she suggest?"

"Paintball."

"Paintball?"

"Paintball." Alex said nonchalantly.

"Hm…" Olivia thought about the option. "It is not that horrible." She said.

"I actually like the idea." Alex told her. "It would be fun."

Olivia smiled. "I would kick your ass, easily."

"Oh yeah? You're not afraid of my karate skills?" Alex joked and Olivia belly-laughed.

"Though I'm terrified about them, I remind you that in paintball you use a weapon, not your karate skills." She said. "And I went to the Police Academy and whether I like it or not, a gun is nearly an extension of my arm by now, so I _have _to be a better shooter than you."

Alex nodded. "You seem pretty confident." Olivia shrugged and Alex drank a sip from her drink. "Paintball will be then." She said.

* * *

><p>After having dinner, they had jumped over the couch and put a movie on. The film had still half an hour to go but it didn't take Olivia too much effort to realize Alex was quickly falling asleep over her shoulder.<p>

The blonde was cuddled on Olivia's side with her arms tightly holding her olive-skinned body. The brunette had her hand softly gripping Alex's waist. She gently squeezed the zone to catch Alex's attention. "Hey." Olivia whispered. "What about we call it a night?" She asked as she kissed the top of Alex's head.

Alex groaned and hugged Olivia closer. "I'm comfy." She said with her eyes closed and nuzzled Olivia's shoulder.

The older woman smiled. "Okay, then." Olivia shifted from her position and a moment later she stood in front of the couch carrying Alex's light body in her arms.

Olivia walked through her apartment with Alex's soft giggle as background sound.

"You know, you were supposed to wait until our wedding night for this." The blonde joked as they crossed the bedroom's door.

Without giving a reply, Olivia gently laid Alex over the bed. She sweetly kissed the blonde and then stood back. Alex stretched and yawned. She then looked at Olivia who was still standing a few feet away from the bed. "You're gonna come or you're gonna tell me you're a flamingo and sleep on one leg?"

Olivia chuckled. "I… I'm gonna crash on the couch." She said and Alex raised her torso got off the bed.

"What?" She walked the few steps that separated her from Olivia. "Why?" She asked softly and reached for Olivia's forearms to caress them. "What's wrong?"

"I just…" The brunette sighed. "I don't trust myself enough to keep my hands off you." She said.

"Then don't." Alex let her hormones speak for her and took a step closer to Olivia.

"Alex." Olivia firmly said and made a half-step back.

The blonde dropped her gaze to the floor and slightly shook her head. "I know, I know. Sorry about that." She raised her eyes and let them meet Olivia's.

"I don't wanna rush things; especially not this one." The older woman said.

"Me neither, Liv, but I don't want you to sleep on the couch if we could be both here, just sleeping. Please. I promise nothing will happen." Alex told Olivia, getting one of her hands behind the brunette's ear and the other one around Olivia's waist. "We won't let it happen." She said softly.

Olivia smiled at lost herself inside Alex's deep blue eyes for a while. She just stared at the amazing woman in front of her and promised herself she would do everything in her power to never lose her from her side.

"Okay." Olivia simply whispered and Alex's smile widened.

Moments later, Olivia's body was spooning Alex's and the blonde could feel the brunette's warm breath against her skin. "Goodnight, Alex." Olivia dropped a soft kiss on the base of Alex's neck and closed her eyes peacefully.

"Night Liv." Alex replied in a yawn and let her mind rush into a much needed sleep.

**Did you like this chapter? Did you hate it? What do you think should happen next?**

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	42. Waking Up Around Ten

**A/N: Guys, YOU ROCK! 13 Reviews for the last chap? Really? THANK YOU! You keep my muse inspired! Thank you so much!**

**Actually, it was due to some reviews that my muse completely changed my idea for this new chapter. The next one is relatively short but I believe you'll like it pretty much. I think it has something that was missing and I'm satisfied with how this chap turned out, again, when I started it - it was NOTHING like this final product and all the ideas I had in mind for this chap were pushed into the waiting line and I believe I'll make them real in the next chapter, I nearly added them in this one two but I didn't want to ruin the chap by writing more stuff just to give you more words to read. SO, I hope you like it! **

Alex woke up around ten and found out she wasn't being spooned by Olivia any more, and probably hadn't been for a long time. In her sleep, Olivia had laid her back against the mattress and Alex was now cuddling against the brunette's left side, with her blonde head between Olivia's upper chest and shoulder. Olivia's left arm keeping them close as it hugged the teenager's waist from behind.

As soon as Alex opened her eyes, she was thankful for the change of position. She held her breath as her gaze immediately went to Olivia's full, round –and unfortunately covered— breasts in front of her. Alex stared at them and unconsciously licked her lips. The simple thought of what was hiding beneath the brunette's cotton undershirt made Alex lose her breath.

Alex's own hands were way too near them and the temptation increased likewise the seconds passed. The small white undershirt Olivia was wearing gave the blonde plenty skin to stare at and admire. Alex softly nuzzled against the brunette's chest, not wanting to wake Olivia up but desperately needing more connection between their skins. She inhaled and smelled Olivia's scent, letting it ran through her lungs. Alex planted a light kiss just an inch above of were Olivia's garment begun covering the woman's breasts.

But it wasn't enough, hell she could never have enough of Olivia.

Slowly and very carefully, Alex moved her left hand up to Olivia's right breast and placed it on top of it. During the following moments, she didn't move; she simply cupped the olive-skinned boob and enjoyed how it fitted perfectly in her pale hand. Without moving her hand, Alex lay down again and placed her head next to Olivia's neck.

Once she was settled, her thumb started caressing the brunette's breast through the cotton undershirt in a very slow pace. Alex gently squeezed Olivia's breast in her hand and closed her eyes as she did so. She hadn't expected something so simple would feel so amazing.

She looked at Olivia and how deep in her sleep the brunette was.

She looked beautiful.

She always did.

Every time Alex looked at Olivia she felt as if she was falling for her a little bit more. There was just something about the tall guard that made her unique and Alex couldn't figure out what was it exactly because everything about Olivia deserved an especial amount of attention. Her dark hair, her deep brown eyes, her luscious lips, the way she moved her hips as she walked, everything about Olivia deserved Alex's attention and adoration.

Alex's eyes went back to her hand on top of the brunette's breast and the blonde bit her lip. She looked up and found Olivia's jaw just millimeters above her. Alex slightly shifted her head and kissed her guard's jawline slowly, giving a little more pressure to the grip of her hand.

Alex continued her trail of kisses until she reached the end of Olivia's jawline. She looked at her still asleep companion and smiled. She moved her mouth forward and caught Olivia's earlobe between her lips, softly sucking it and teasing it with her tongue. She squeezed the brunette's boob once again and that was when Alex started feeling how Olivia was waking up.

Her lips had just started kissing Olivia's neck when she heard a moan coming from the brunette. "Good morning." Alex nearly whispered and settled herself on top of Olivia before kissing her on the lips and fully waking her up.

Olivia cupped Alex's right cheek with her hand when the blonde pulled off from the kiss. "Definitely a good morning." Olivia said smiling to her favorite pair of blue eyes and brought their lips together again, this time deepening the kiss.

To Olivia, Alex's body was strategically placed so every part would help in getting her aroused. Alex's left hand over her breast and the fingers of the right one going through her dark hair. Alex's legs one on each side of hers, constraining her own ones tightly together. Alex's lips over her owns and the blonde's tongue inside her mouth. The combination of every part of Alex's body was too much for Olivia to focus and control herself.

Alex's left hand was removed from Olivia's breast only to go south and slip under the brunette's undershirt. She started making a path down the fabric going over Olivia's side and through her flat stomach. Alex stopped just below the older woman's breast and broke the kiss. Their gazes met and they could only see one thing in each other's eyes: _Lust. _

Olivia's eyes couldn't move away from Alex's parted, swollen lips. The blonde teenager led her hand up to Olivia's breast so slowly it nearly killed them from the anticipation but once Alex had completely cupped the olive-skinned boob they knew it had worth the sweet torture. Alex's thumb flicked Olivia's already hard nipple. "God." A husky voice said. If it was Olivia's or Alex's neither of them knew as all their senses were set on that small flick and in each other's eyes.

The older woman's hand left the younger one's cheek and moved towards her own breast. Olivia placed her hand on top of her undershirt and, as consequence, on top of Alex's hand. She slightly squeezed her own boob, leading Alex to do the same.

The blonde leant to kiss the brunette once again as she squeezed the woman's breast hard and brushed the nipple with her thumb. Olivia moaned in the kiss and the sensual sound caused Alex to moan along.

What they were sharing was just the beginning. They enjoyed the other one's pleasure as their own. They could feel everything the other one did. They _wanted _to feel everything and absorb as much as they could.

Olivia's hands took a grip of Alex's ass and brought the blonde's slim body even closer to her. Those same strong hands then moved north and went beneath the NYPD Academy t-shirt Alex had insisted to sleep in with. They caressed the pale skin of Alex's back up and down several times and finally rested on each side of the blonde's waist, holding it tightly.

They broke the kiss but didn't move their heads away. Nose touching nose and breath hugging breath. Their eyes connected and they stopped any other movement happening.

Olivia moved her gaze up to Alex's blonde hair and thought about how it looked uncharacteristically messy at that moment. She smiled when she supposed that it was probably how it always looked when the young woman woke up at the morning and her grin widened when she realized that she was now allowed to witness that intimate and simple circumstance.

Alex was practically drooling over the woman in front of her. She stared into those big brown eyes and let her mind lose itself inside them. She stared at them for what it seemed so long she forgot about everything else, included her hand on top of Olivia's breast and the brunette's hands clung to her own pale waist. '_How could I forget?' _She asked herself later. But then again, she had submerged herself into Olivia's gaze. The same gaze that made her fly to a different world, one Alex was absolutely sure she could happily live in forever.

The blonde noticed a big grin below her favorite pair of eyes and smiled herself. She giggled. "What are you smiling at?" She asked curiously, running her free hand through the brunette's hair and once again forgetting about all the lust that had been shared just moments ago; lust that was still present on their bodies' positions.

Olivia heard Alex's voice and left her thoughts excluded for a while. "You." She responded, never losing her smile. "And how perfect you are and how perfect my life has been ever since I have you in it." Olivia replied sincerely and looked at Alex adoringly.

Unconsciously, Alex removed her hand from under Olivia's garment and cupped the older woman's face from each side. She gave Olivia a chaste kiss. "I love you." She said.

"I love you." Olivia copied Alex's response and added. "And I'd certainly love you more if you could wake me up like this every day." They both giggled.

"I wouldn't mind doing that." Alex told her with a smile and then her voice drifted to a more serious but still gentle tone. "I don't know about everyday but I think we could manage to spend some nights together." She said and saw Olivia smiling softly.

"I'd like that."

**Did you like this chapter? Did you hate it? What do you think should happen next?**

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**Click the button below, review and tell me your thoughts on the story!**


	43. Spilling Things Out

**A/N: I am so so sorry it took me this long to update! My computer's broken and I'm using my grandma's netbook that, to be honest, it's the slowest computer on the world and nothing works as it should. I mean, really, I don't know why it works so awfully. Anyway, that plus the facts that school and rehearsals are taking over my entire time are pretty much the reasons of my delay. I'm so sorry and I'll try to make it up for you but I can't promise anything. Sorry!**

**I've started writing another fic called 'Quirks' and it'll be a series of unrelated one-shots about our favorite ladies' quirks. I hope you read it and enjoy it :)  
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**Now, an all-new chapter is here! Hope you like it!  
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Doing nothing. Absolutely nothing.

That would probably be the most appropriate way to describe Alex's and Olivia's actions during their first hour awake.

Both females rested on top of the old yet comfortable mattress, Alex cuddling her body against Olivia's side and Olivia playing with some of Alex's long blonde locks. They were relaxed; they simply were enjoying the other one's company and they wanted to make it endlessly.

Feeling everything. Absolutely everything.

That would probably be the most appropriate way to describe Alex's and Olivia's actions during their first hour awake.

Alex closed her eyes and snuggled closer into Olivia. She smiled and inhaled taking in Olivia's smell. She felt in heaven. "I could stay like this forever." She mentioned, still with her blue eyes shut down.

Olivia smiled and looked down to Alex. She pressed a soft kiss on the top of the blonde's head, making Alex smile as consequence of the simple display of affection. "Can't say I wouldn't like that." She whispered. "But… we really should get out of bed. It's way past eleven."

"I don't see your point there." Alex said as pulled her head apart from the brunette's body. "And I don't really want to anyway." She whispered in Olivia's ear with a small air of sensuality and planted one single kiss just below the brunette's jaw line before rising her torso up again. Now, Alex was lying on her side, supporting her weight with her right arm and hand. Her free hand brushed a dark lock of hair off Olivia's face.

Olivia used all of her power to dehypnotize herself from Alex's deep gaze and managed her voice out. "I don't really want to anyway, too. But you won't survive much longer if I don't feed you and that's not going to happen until I get off the bed and go buy us something nice for breakfast."

Alex's stomach growled and both women smiled. "Well, food does sound great though." Olivia chuckled at Alex's change of opinion.

The brunette pulled herself off the bed but not without giving a chaste kiss to her favorite blonde. "Then you just stay here and I'll go to the coffee shop that's on the corner and pick up something full of calories for us." She said and selected her clothes for the day.

"What about I just go with you and we'll have breakfast there?"

Olivia smiled at the possibility of being seen in public with the young woman as something more than her guard but then it hit her. "Al… we haven't told your mom yet." She said. She didn't want Irene to found out by seeing a picture of her daughter on the news.

"Oh C'mon, Olivia. I am capable of keeping my hands off you for a couple minutes. But if it sounds better to you we can just pick up some stuff and come back here. Please? I need some fresh air." Alex begged but vaguely, already knowing Olivia would give in.

The older woman sighed. "I guess you're right." She said and then she put on a smirk. "I am kinda worried though because you know… I am practically irresistible so I wouldn't judge you if you don't have enough strength to keep your hands off me".

Alex laughed. "Oh, please, go and change your clothes. You don't even want to hear my answer to that." She spoke and the tall guard did as she was told.

A couple minutes later and a clean breeze hit both women's faces. Alex stepped outside the building and closed her eyes, enjoying the cold but soft wind. Olivia smiled as she closed the door behind them and joined Alex.

The brunette recognized her coworkers sitting inside a car across the street and made a mental note of buying some coffee for them too.

They started walking towards the shop and after they had just made a few steps Olivia took Alex's hand into hers. The blonde looked at her confused and Olivia didn't understand why.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"I know that it must be hard for you, because… you know… I am practically irresistible so I'm not gonna judge you because you didn't have enough strength to keep your hands off me; but you were the one who proposed the hands-off thing." Alex told her.

"C'mon, Alex! Friends walk holding hands _all the time!_" Olivia said. "With a hands-off policy I meant no _obvious_ PDAs."

Alex laughed. "I think I never held hands with a friend while walking in my entire life." She stated.

"Well, then you're the weirdo." Olivia teased her. "For your information, there probably isn't one single time Casey and I have walked down the streets of New York without holding each other's hand."

"Hm…Really?" The blonde asked, unsuccessfully trying to hide her jealously.

Olivia noticed what emotions Alex's voice drifted to and grinned. "I am so going to enjoy you're the jealous type." She told the teenager, who skillfully smacked her on the shoulder. "Ouch!" Olivia complained.

"Told you I practiced karate." Alex proudly said. "And that's what you get for even suggesting things like that, you don't even imagine how jealous I can be so, please, don't make me get to that point." The blonde woman told the brunette with a more gentle tone of voice.

"You don't have to worry, I love you, remember?" Olivia said.

Alex smiled at the reminder and then spoke. "That fact doesn't vanish away the fact that you're a breathtaking woman and I'm gonna have to fight with many, many other candidates." She said with an air of light sadness. "Including my own brother." Alex muttered.

"You say that as if anyone could compare themselves to you or even had a chance of doing so." Olivia immediately spoke and once again used her words to make the blonde's smile reappear. "You are unique. I'm all yours and no one else's." She made a small pause to search for Alex's gaze. She continued when their eyes met. "And you know it." Olivia stated. "So stop thinking like that."

Alex sighed and reached to open the coffee shop's door. "I'll try." She promised and admitted:"But jealously brings my worst side out."

Olivia gifted a soft smile to Alex and walked into the store. "I think I can deal with that."

The blonde ordered her drink and a blueberry scone while the brunette accompanied her Espresso Macchiato with an old-fashioned glazed doughnut. Alex giggled as Olivia made the order. The older woman looked at her and curiously asked. "What?"

Alex's giggle turned into a more hearable laugh. "The donut." Olivia looked at Alex with intrigue, her detective skills being temporarily unuseful until she'd got some caffeine in her system. Seeing Olivia was clueless, Alex proceeded with her explanation. "It's the proof your heart's with the NYPD." She remarked and the brunette laughed along her.

Olivia finished their order asking for a pair of coffees and bagels for the guards that had sat in the car for the entire evening. They deserved it. She then turned around and confirmed what her instinct had told her. One of those guards was standing next to the shop's door, maintaining a respectful distance from them but still keeping an eye on Alex. Olivia hid the smile that the knowledge of the blonde's safety provoked and patiently waited for their order to be delivered.

Moments later, with breakfast in their hands, the pair of women walked towards the guard standing closer to them and gave him the pack they had bought. "Here." Olivia said as she handed him the paper bag with the bagels inside and the two coffees. "Thanks for staying all the night outside, Daniels." She thanked her coworker.

"It's my job, Benson." He replied politely. "And if I'm gonna get paid for it and also receive free breakfast then count me in anytime you need extra eyes." He said with a smile and went back to the car as the women walked towards Olivia's building.

Once again inside of the brunette's apartment, Alex went straight to the couch and relaxed over it as Olivia got comfortable barely an inch apart from her.

They enjoyed each other's silence for a few minutes until Alex asked a question that had been running through her mind for the past few days. "So how's your schedule gonna be like from up until now that you are my entire family's guard?"

Olivia thought and remembered her time schedule. "I have Mondays and Saturdays with your dad, Tuesdays with your mom Wednesdays with Caleb, and Thursdays with Amy."

"So you're free on Fridays and Sundays?" The blonde asked and didn't understand when Olivia firstly shook her head.

"I have Fridays and Sundays with you." She said sweetly. "And the best part of that is that I don't have them as your guard." Both women smiled and shared a light kiss. "I am never going to regret speaking with your dad and Cragen. I know we're not going to see each other all the time anymore but I feel as if it is going to be a great thing for us."

Alex nodded in agreement. "I know." She said.

They were interrupted by the ring of Alex's phone. Olivia laughed as she heard Alex growl. "Can I guess who is calling?" She said jokingly, knowing that there was a 99 percent of probability that it was the blonde's mother.

"Hi, mom." Alex dryly said.

"_Hi, Alex. It's good to hear you in a good mood." _Irene replied sarcastically._ "How are you girls doing? Do you need anything? At what time will you be back? Have you eaten anything yet? Do you need anything ?"_

"Mom you already asked that." The teenager said with a tired voice. Why was her mother calling her anyway? She was with _Olivia. _She was beyond okay.

"_And you haven't given me an answer yet." _Irene remarked.

If Alex's mood had been in a dangerous zone ever since her phone had ringed, it had exploded after her mother's last phrase. "Well, _maybe _if you could stop over questioning me you would get an answer earlier. Or even better, you could simply stop asking me things you already know the answer to. You know we're fine. You know I don't need anything. I'm not a baby anymore, mother! I can take care of myself for one night; and even if I couldn't, I have Olivia with me and she'll make you I'm okay. There is no way she would let me feel hunger, or being too much cold, or not sleeping at night because of a nightmare. She would go to every grocery store in the world looking for something for me to eat, she would give me her jacket so I won't feel cold, she would hold me and comfort me until I fell asleep. And you know why she would do that?"

The blonde knew that, though it was rhetorical, it was a very risky question. She was about to spill the truth to her mother and not in the best way. She knew it and she realized Olivia knew where she was going to when the brunette softly whispered her name.

"Alex…" Olivia said speechlessly. She didn't know if she was encouraging the younger woman or asking her to stop. The only thing Olivia knew when her eyes met a pair of wet blue ones was that she wanted Alex's sadness and anger to disappear as quickly as possible. It didn't matter how that happened, she just wanted to see the blonde's smile again.

Alex reached for Olivia's hand and squeezed it. She spoke to her mother without taking her eyes off the brown ones in front of her. "Because she loves me. Olivia loves me unconditionally." Alex said confidently, knowing that every word she was saying was true. "And I love her back. I love her so much, mom. I–"

She was interrupted by her mother's cold and dry voice. "We are _not _having this conversation through a telephone. You are coming home _now_ and we'll talk." Irene said strictly and after assuring her she would Alex ended the conversation.

But even before she could process what had just happened, she felt Olivia's warm embrace surround her and with that, Alex collapsed in tears. What the hell had she just done? Why didn't she keep her mouth shut? Why did she let her anger take over her mind? "I'm so stupid." She said aloud but more to herself than to her company.

"That's not true. Everything's gonna be okay." Alex felt Olivia's soft hand bringing her even closer. "We are gonna be okay." Olivia reassured and caressed the blonde's back.

Alex cried in silence for a few moments until she calmed down. She couldn't erase her words and now she had to deal with them. Even if the consequences scared her.

The blonde pulled away from Olivia. "I better go wash my face." She said and let her gaze connect to Olivia's.

"Okay." The brunette spoke almost in a whisper and freed the blonde from her arms.

As soon as Alex closed the bathroom's door Olivia pressed the green button of her phone.

"_I believe it had been understood I do not want to have this conversation through a phone." _Olivia heard Irene's voice on the other line and asked her guts to not fail her.

"I know. And I agree with you. I want to talk personally with you, we both do." She said. "But I was hoping that you could come here instead of us going there. I think it would be better for Alex; she'd feel safer and more confident and whatever your opinion ends up being I think she'd take it better if she's somewhere that represents a comfort zone for her." Olivia told Irene. "I know I have no right of asking you to do this but I—"

Irene interrupted her. _"I'll be there in less than half an hour." _And the line went off almost at the same moment Alex came out of the bathroom.

"Who were you talking to?" Alex asked curiously as she saw Olivia putting her phone away.

The brunette knew she had done the right thing when she noticed how Alex's voice had been far from spreading confidence as it usually did and was instead filled by uncertainty and need.

"Come here baby." Olivia led Alex to the couch and didn't reply until the blonde was snuggling against her. "I called your mother." She said and felt Alex's body tensing. "She's coming here instead of us going to your house." She said and felt Alex's body relax again. "Everything is going to be just fine." Blue eyes turned around to meet brown ones and Olivia put a lock of blonde hair behind Alex's ear. "Okay?"

Alex nodded and held her tears. "Okay." She quietly said.

**What do you think Irene's gonna say to them? What do you think should happen next?**

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it?  
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	44. Between Fear and Braveness

**A/N: Hello everyone out there! I am so thankful for all your wonderful reviews during the last chapters! I mean, I've always been grateful for them but for the last three chapters I've gotten 14,15 and 12 reviews for each chap! It's just so WOWWW! So THANK YOU!**

**Now here we have a new chapter I know you've been waiting for! I've been too because I had no idea of how this was going to turn out. So, here we go and I hope you enjoy it!**

Olivia heard the knock on her door and froze.

Twenty minutes had gone since she had called Irene and during those twenty minutes the only thing in her mind had been Alex's welfare. Olivia had pushed her own emotions and feelings away for the sake of the blonde's.

But now it was time to confront the situation, now it hit her. This could be the end of their relationship.

If Irene didn't approve their relationship then it was over. It was all over.

Olivia felt Alex soft hands caressing her forearms and unconsciously giving her the strength she so desperately needed for the upcoming dialogue. The brunette looked at the blonde and spoke with their gazes united as one. "It doesn't matter what will happen now, it doesn't matter what it's going to happen to us after this, it doesn't matter who might think otherwise; I love you, Alex. I love you with all I have and I will never regret loving you. I could never regret it." Olivia whispered and squeezed Alex hand at the same time she heard another knock on the door. "I'm coming." She shouted and went to her apartment's entrance.

She checked the peep hole and confirmed it was Irene on the other side. She took a deep breath and slowly opened the door for Alex's mother to enter.

The icy gaze the middle-aged woman gave her made Olivia shiver.

"Come in." The brunette motioned with her hand for Irene to go to the part of the apartment where Alex was sitting.

The young blonde sat over a three-seat couch and her mother took the seat next to her. Alex's blue eyes were already wet and the teenager had never looked so fragile and terrified in her short lifetime.

Olivia debated whether to take the remaining seat or not. She really wanted to be sitting next to Alex and give some kind of comfort to the blonde but she also knew that Irene might take that as a war sign; and the thing Olivia wanted the most was peace, so she walked towards an armchair that was placed near the couch until she heard Alex's voice pleading.

"Olivia." The younger blonde said when she realized the brunette wasn't going to sit next to her. "Please." Alex begged her. She hated to sound so weak but it didn't matter. She needed Olivia by her side if she was going to confront her mother. She needed to physically know that Olivia would be there regardless what was going to happen.

She heard Alex's plead and Olivia immediately went to sit next to her.

Though the three of them were sitting on the same couch, there was clearly an invisible wall between them. One side was occupied by Irene, silently staring at the couple's actions and in front of her were Alex and Olivia. Olivia's hand was gently placed around the small of Alex's back and the blonde indeed appreciated the little gesture that would probably get her through the conversation.

A conversation that was yet to happen since not one of them had said anything about the subject of matter because of one reason—fear.

The three women in the room were scared of what would come out of the conversation.

Irene feared for her relationship with her daughter. If she gave in into this relationship, she was taking a risk she truly didn't want to; but if she denied giving them her approval she would most likely lose her relationship with Alex. And would it be worth?

Olivia was afraid for multiple reasons. Her entire life was in game again. Her job, the money that paid for her mother's program, the people she had met through this experience, her reputation and most importantly, her Alex. She could lose everything in a matter of minutes and yet, she couldn't show her worries. She had to be strong, for her and for Alex. Her Alex needed her and Olivia knew it.

Alex was scared of her mother. For the first time she was truly scared of her. This wasn't anything like when she was eight and stole Caleb's toys or got her clothes dirty from playing in the garden and Irene scolded her. This was serious. Her mother could actually ruin her life with her decision; and Alex didn't want to lose Olivia. As the days moved on she had realized how much good Olivia did to her and her life, how much joyful she was in the brunette's presence, how much perfect her life could be next to her. And that was what Alex wanted. She wanted a future next to Olivia. She wanted to share everything with her.

She wasn't going to let her mother ruin that.

Alex took a grip from the olive-skinned hand that rested at the side of her waist and held it tightly.

She was going to fight for Olivia. And that same determination appeared in her gaze. All fears were gone because now, she knew she could do this. She could convince her mother. And even if she didn't, she wasn't going to lose Olivia, she wasn't going to resign. They had fought enough to be where they were and Alex wasn't going to let that vanish away.

"So…" Olivia broke the silence and took the Cabot women away from their thoughts. "Irene, I…" She sighed. She really didn't know how to begun or even have this conversation at all. "I'm really sorry you had to found out in the way you did." That was a good start, wasn't it? "We really didn't mean to tell you about it in the way it happened it just—"

Alex interrupted. "It slipped. And I'm sorry for that, mom. I really am. You deserved better from us. We should have talked with you and dad as soon as it all begun but—"

Olivia interrupted this time. "We were scared. We still are." She admitted and looked right into Irene's eyes. "I know this shouldn't be happening but I can't help loving your daughter and believed me, I've tried. I fought so hard against it, against everything I was feeling, but it's not something you get to choose." Olivia said and made a small pause. "There is nothing in this world I want more than to make Alex happy. I just want her to feel safe, to smile and to cherish life. I want her joy more than my own. I know I'm older than her but she's beyond smart and mature for a soon-to-be seventeen-year-old and I'm not that old either. I'm a rookie who just got out of Police Academy. We're both young and we both have our entire lives ahead and—" Olivia's voice faded when she heard Irene speak for the first time since she'd arrived.

"How long?" The mother-of-four spoke low.

The couple exchanged gazes and Alex decided to answer. "I believe I started falling for her since the day I met her." She sweetly said. "But it's been around a month and a half since we admitted it to each other and three weeks since we've first kissed."

Irene remained in silence for minutes that seemed endless for the other two women. Endless minutes filled with uncertainty; endless minutes that had to end at some point and that Olivia decided she would be the one to give an end to. "Irene, I—"

She was instantly interrupted by the fierce voice of an angry mother. "You, Miss Benson, don't get to say anything. You sneaked around with my sixteen-year-old daughter for the past three weeks, you get her to sleep here last night and you hide the fact that you two are romantically involved? I don't care how young you are, you're an adult still and you should have known better. I am her _mother_ for God's sakes!" Irene yelled. "I don't care how good your intentions were or how much you think you love my daughter! If you'd truly loved her you would have done what was best for her and we both know that isn't to have a relationship with you!" She said and then calmed down and spoke with a normal volume of voice. "I always had my suspicions but I decided to push them away in order to give you my trust. I've done wrong I see." Irene spoke dryly and then directed herself to Alex. "And about you, Alexandra, we'll speak at home—"

"I'm not leaving." Alex interrupted her mother and defied her. "Anything you want to say to me you say it in front of Olivia." Seconds after speaking, when Irene's gaze wasn't as motherly as it usually was; Alex realized it may have not been the smartest idea she'd ever had. But there was no turning back. "I am not going to leave and you are not going to yell at her. I don't care if you don't like the idea but I _love _Olivia and you cannot change that by punishing me."

Irene opened her mouth and begun to say Alex's name but she was interrupted by Olivia's firm voice. "Stop. Please, just stop." She said and the Cabot women looked at her confused. "You are mother and daughter, you have a beautiful relationship and I am not going to ruin that."

"But Liv this—" Alex started saying but Olivia stopped her by squeezing her hand tightly.

"I know. This isn't my fault." Olivia finished Alex's words giving a small, sad smile to the younger blonde. "This isn't anyone's fault. But I don't want you two to fight because of this. I don't want you to lose that special bond that ties you. So please, stop yelling at each other." She spoke and then directed herself to Irene. "I understand that you are mad, I don't expect you to don't be it but please, Alex is your daughter and I don't plan on taking her away from you." Olivia told Irene and immediately looked to Alex. "And please Al, don't think this is easy for your mom either. Don't blame her for trying to protect you."

Alex looked at Olivia's loving eyes and released a small sigh. "Okay." She said in a whisper that Olivia barely heard and her mother never got the chance to.

"Why don't you go back to your home and talk about it?" The brunette proposed and saw Alex frowning almost simultaneously. She was near to say something else but Irene spoke first.

"I think that might be a good idea." The older woman said. "We're going to talk about this by ourselves sooner or later, Alex. I'd rather it to be the first one."

Alex didn't say anything so Olivia softly encouraged her. "You can call me if anything happens but give it a try, please."

"Alright." She said reluctantly. "I'm going to get my things."

The younger blonde disappeared behind Olivia's bedroom door and the brunette was left alone with Irene.

Olivia looked at the middle-aged woman and begun to speak. "I wanted to thank you for giving us the chance to talk with you."

"Don't think that is what this is, Olivia." Irene dryly answered. "I don't approve the fact that you hid your feelings towards each other from me for weeks and I don't approve that you acted on them. The only thing I'm trying to do here is to not ruin my own relationship with my daughter and I do thank you for reminding me that; but don't think my opinion has changed in the littlest."

Olivia nodded and remained silent until Alex came back along with her bag. The brunette guided them to the building's main door and saw that crossing the streets was the same guard Alex and her had met at the coffee shop and not many cars away was Elliot, doing his job as Irene's guard.

Seconds after Olivia opened the door, Irene walked out of the building and politely goodbye her but she then stood there and waited for her daughter.

Alex panicked for a moment and rushed to hug Olivia. "It's going to be okay, you'll see." The brunette softly whispered and after leaving a chaste kiss on the blonde's cheek she pulled away.

"I love you too." Alex said flashing now a brand new smile.

**What do you think Irene's gonna say to Alex now they'll be alone? What do you think should happen next?**

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it?  
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**Click the button below, review and tell me your view on the story!**


	45. Not Caring and Caring Too Much

**A/N: Hey guys! THANK YOU for all the awesome reviews! You keep my muse alive! First of all, I'm sorry about last chapter, I reread it and I wanted to change most of the parts, but well, that's what happens when you write not because you feel it's the right thing but because you want to publish something. Please, never do that, I won't let myself do it again.**

**Now, all-new chapter is up! I hope you enjoy it!**

After Irene and Alex left, Olivia stayed outside her apartment's building. She sat in one of the staircase's steps and watched how the cars passed in front of her; first was a blue one, like Alex's eyes; then a golden one, like Alex's hair; and finally a white one, like Alex's skin.

Olivia couldn't get her mind off the blonde. She knew that at some point Alex was going to have to speak with her mother by herself but that didn't mean Olivia wasn't going to worry about it when that'd happen.

She knew she wasn't going to be able to hold Alex during the upcoming talk and it killed her. "She's strong. She can do it." Olivia softly spoke to no-one and breathed heavily. She started getting up from the cold staircase and back into her apartment.

Once Olivia was back inside the building, she felt her phone ringing. Liv checked the caller's ID and picked up. "Hey." She said without any excitement and it was noticed by the caller.

"Whoa. What happened? I thought you were with Blondie." Casey worried about her closest friend.

Olivia sighed with sadness. "Can you come to my place?" She asked with a hint of weakness appearing in her voice; she didn't like it, but it was Casey on the other line.

"I'm on my way."

Olivia heard the words and ended the conversation. She sat on the floor, her back against the wall and her knees embraced by her arms. She knew she looked like a little kid who's scared of the monsters under the bed but, truthfully, she felt just like one of them. She didn't want to lose Alex. She couldn't deal with it. Not now that the blonde was the absolute owner of her heart.

Long minutes later, Olivia overheard a knock in the door but that didn't take her away from her thoughts. She remained motionless and stared at some unknown point of her apartment. The brunette was in shock. She finally understood everything that was going on, now, she was realizing all the things that were at stake. She could see what was happening but the problem was she didn't know how they'd got to that place. The only thing Olivia was certain of at that moment was that she was scared as hell of all the things that might happen.

Seeing that her friend wasn't going to play hostess, Casey opened the door and walked into the apartment to find Olivia sitting still on the floor. The redheaded kneeled down and set her gaze in front of Olivia's. "You…" She pointed with to her with the finger. "…look like crap."

"Alex told her mother." Olivia said with her eyes gazing everywhere but her friend. "They were talking on the phone and she actually told Irene I loved her." The brunette looked up to the redheaded in front of her. "How did that happened, Case? What trigger did Irene pull to make Alex say that?"

Casey sighed and seated next to her best friend. "We all have moments in which we don't control ourselves, Liv. We've all said things we didn't want to."

"I know but…" Olivia's voice faded off. "I mean, one moment we're fine and everything's perfect and then a second passes and her mother's here telling me it doesn't matter if I love her daughter because I'm just not the right thing for her." The brunette let a small and single tear run down her cheek.

Casey sighed.

It had always been one of Olivia's fears to not be enough. That was what made her such a good person. Olivia was always trying harder, making a double effort, just because she believed that whatever she could do it would never be enough. Casey knew Olivia didn't see herself as the rest of the world did and that pissed her off. Her friend deserved someone who valuated those things and proved Olivia that she was indeed the best one; and the redheaded knew Alex was that perfect someone; why did her mother have to ruin what they had just started to build up?

"You are the perfect thing for Alex, Liv." She told her friend. "It's just going to take some time for her to adapt to the situation. I bet she didn't expect to get such an amazing daughter-in-law and she's only a little bit shocked."

Olivia softly chuckled and silently thanked that Casey was her best friend and no one else was it. "I don't know where the hell you've got that stupid idea from, but thank you." She said with a smile.

* * *

><p>"You are not going to speak to me?" Irene asked her daughter after the first couple of silent minutes inside the car.<p>

Alex ignored her mother and continued to stare at the road.

Irene sighed. "Alex, I'm not the villain here. I'm just your mother and I'm worried. What did you expect? You thought I was going to clap and throw a big party for you both? It doesn't matter how great Olivia might be, she's still twenty-four years old! And you are sixteen! You haven't even finished high school yet and she's been out of college for a long time now! I don't understand what went through your mind to believe that I was going to you my blessing." Irene said as she got near her house.

"I'm beyond mature to have a serious relationship with her and we both know it, mom." Alex finally spoke but didn't look to her mother. "And in those things I am not, she is helping me to grow up and to be my better self. How is it that you can't see that? How comes that you cannot see how amazing she is to me?" The young blonde's voice broke and she was close to crying.

Irene parked into her house's garage. "And how comes that you cannot see how much this relationship is going to hurt you, Alex? Really, you're a smart girl, anyone would think that you would realize that, sooner or later, you two are going to break up and it's not going to be pretty." Irene snapped and instantly regretted it.

"That's it." Alex dryly said and got out of the car.

* * *

><p>Caleb angrily threw his guitar's cover on the living room's floor. This wasn't the first time his mother forgot to take him to his rehearsal. To be honest, this wasn't the first time someone just forgot about him.<p>

He had come to understand that there were other problems that happened to be more important than his owns. Phillip's visit mattered more than his first live performance, so why would he even invite anyone to it; Amy's lost tooth was a bigger subject than his grades lowering and that meant that his mom would use her time to play tooth fairy instead of finding him a tutor; currently, picking up Alex was certainly more essential than getting him to his rehearsal so he could simply skip it this time.

_This time._

What wasn't fair was that 'this time' was turning into an always. And Caleb was getting sick of it. He was tired of no one listening to him, of no one caring enough. He was weary of being invisible at home and of being picked up as a joke at school.

Because _he did_ care. He cared about his family, he cared about what other people think about it and he cared about the band he was in.

But no one else but himself seemed to care, not enough. Fin tried to care but Caleb knew he actually didn't care; the man was just doing his job and that was fine, or at least Caleb thought he was supposed to be fine with it.

It wasn't fair that he was always the one who understood the other person, not when he was a preteen. Not when he—

The strong slam of the door took him away from his thoughts.

"You don't know her! You have no say over my relationship with her!" His sister's voice could be easily heard by the entire neighborhood, Caleb thought.

"Of course I do! I am your mother!"

"I didn't hear you comply when Phillip took her out! You were over the moon about her wonderful she was! It's not fair for Olivia that you just change your opinion about her because it is _me_ the one she loves!" Alex smashed her bedroom door and Irene was left alone with Caleb.

The young boy thought that maybe he could still get to rehearse with his band. "Mom, my rehear—"

Of course, he had thought wrong. "Not now, Caleb." Irene interrupted dryly and followed her daughter into the teenager's bedroom.

**I know, I am a bitch because I didn't end the mother-daughter talk. I like being a bitch so get used to it. lol**

**But really, what do you think Irene's decision's gonna be? What's going to happen with Caleb? ****What do you think should happen next?**

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it?  
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	46. Unwanted Visitors

**A/N: I know, I know, I disappeared. I'M SO SORRY! Kinda rough months _but_ now I'm officially on vacations! Which means, I now have real time to sit down and continue writing this fic I love so much! Thank you for waiting ! Thank you for reviewing and telling me to keep going! Your support makes this experience much better!**

**So, he comes another chapter! Hope you enjoy this late Christmas gift!**

"I don't want to talk with you" Alex told her mother as soon as the older woman had entered to her room. "Go away."

"You don't speak at me like that, young lady. I am your mother, not a friend and certainly not someone who deserves to be spoken that way." Irene replied as dryly as before. "And if you don't want to talk that's fine—you'll listen."

The middle-aged woman stood next to her daughter with her arms crossed and a severe look on her face. "You are sixteen, Alex. You can't do whatever you want to because that's the reason why you have parents to raise you and _we_ get to decide what's good for you and what's not. And believe me when I say that a relationship with someone who's a twenty four-year-old isn't a good thing for you right now. I know you think you love her but you're a teenager and crushes come and go at your age. Please understand that I'm doing this only and because I love you and I want the best for you."

"Olivia is the best for me." Alex said.

Irene sighed. She had truly hoped Alex would understand why she thought what she thought but it seemed nearly impossible. "No, Alex. Not really. You'll soon realize you long for different things, you have different goals and those different goals will push you apart. And then you'll start fighting and things will get bad. I don't want you to go through that." Irene explained with sadness in her voice, as if she knew about what she was talking from a personal experience.

"You don't know what is going to happen! How can you be so sure about that?! You know nothing about our relationship!" The blonde cried out.

"I know things, Alex. That's why I am the mother here and that is why you're grounded until I say so. You're not allowed to see Olivia if you're not accompanied. You're not allowed to go to her apartment. You can't have her to go inside your bedroom. You'll go to school and then back home. I don't care about any extra activities. They're suspended, as well as your extension of the credit card. You're—"

Alex interrupted her mother. "You're punishing me for falling in love." The blonde said. "What kind of lesson do you think I might possibly learn?"

"I'm punishing you for hiding things from me." Irene stated.

"Oh, so if I had gone to you and said: 'Hey, mom, look I love Olivia and she loves me back.' You'd approved?" Alex said sarcastically. "Don't you see why I _had _to hide it from you?"

Sadness could be heard in the young woman's voice and Irene had to spoke severely if she wanted to remain untouched by her daughter's showing emotions.

"You'll do as I say because I'm your mother." Irene told Alex and left the room.

* * *

><p>Caleb picked his guitar up from the floor and angrily walked towards his bedroom.<p>

He was pissed and knew he had every right to. But still, it didn't seem things were going to get any better. The young boy had already given up. All hope was gone.

Why would things suddenly change and get better? What were the chances that 'better' would even happen?

He had learnt to deal with it, with pessimism.

Caleb sat on top of his bed and jammed with his guitar. It wasn't too much later until he was surrounded by music of his own.

* * *

><p>A knock on her apartment's door took Olivia away from her thoughts. Casey had left around an hour ago and the brunette hadn't heard from Alex since the blonde had gone back to her house with her mother.<p>

Olivia knew there was a zero chance that the person knocking was Alex but she hoped it was the teenager anyway. She needed to know how she was doing. She needed to hold Alex and assure her nothing would tear them apart. She needed to be with her.

The brunette walked towards her door and looked through the peep hole before opening. Her face expressed the same confusion she was feeling when she recognized the person outside her apartment.

"What the hell." Olivia whispered to herself and unlocked the door.

"Benson." The man standing in front of her spoke firmly.

Olivia studied him; hands inside his pants' pockets, chin high, feet standing confidently on the floor, severe look. She felt as if she hadn't done her homework and her primary school teacher was about to send a note to her mother.

_But that isn't the case, Olivia. _She reminded herself. _You're a strong, independent 24-year-old woman and you are not going to let a coworker go over you._

"Stabler." She greeted Elliot. "Can I help you?"

"I need to talk with you." He said and Olivia knew what that meant. She motioned him to come inside the apartment.

"Can I get you anything?" She offered.

"I'm fine, thanks." Elliot said and spoke again as soon as Olivia had closed the door. "They're a good family."

"I know that." Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and stood in front of the man.

"I mean it, Olivia." He said more softly. "They are good people and Irene's a great mother. She cares about them. All of them."

"I care about all of them too, Stabler."

"But you're not their mother." Elliot remarked. "During the last two months I've seen Irene almost every day; and she loves her daughter, she would do anything for her because she is _her_ _daughter_." He made a short pause and continued. "Ever since the beginning she has had suspicions about the two of you; I've heard her talk about it, hell, I've heard her cry about it! But she decided to trust you, not the two of you, she trusted _you_. You are the adult here. You are the one who should have done the right thing and it is not fair that Alex stands next to you when it is only _your_ fault. I have daughters Benson. And if someone did with them what you've done with Alex I'd run to press charges in a second."

"I love her Elliot." Olivia stated. "I know you don't get it but I really do. And you may know Irene but you don't have any idea of how mature Alex is. She may not even be seventeen yet but her mind is already way over eighteen. And I love her. The last thing I want is to see her suffering."

"Then get out of that family's sight." Elliot used a strong voice.

Olivia remained in silence for a minute and Elliot started walking out of the apartment.

"It's not your call." She said before he left.

The tall female guard took a deep breath that ended in a sigh the moment her co-worker smashed the door closed.

She needed to get Irene to trust her and she needed to do it quickly.

**And that was it!**

**How long you think Alex's punishment last? What's going to happen with Caleb? Do you think Olivia might listen to Elliot's words? ****What do you think should happen next?**

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it?  
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**Any kind of suggestions, commentaries and critics are welcomed!  
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**Click the button below, review and tell me your view on the story!**

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!


	47. When Past Influences our Decisions

**A/N: Hey guys! Last chapter of the year! Woohoo! I wanted to thank all of you. You were the best part of my 2012. I can't believe I actually wrote over 90.000 words for a fanfic. I can't believe the amount of ficlove I received through the year. So thank you, I'll be always grateful for your support! Have an amazing 2013!**

**And now, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Thomas unlocked the front door of his house and walked towards his bedroom so he could get out of his suit. All the peace and serenity he had hoped to have once he'd finally reached home was taken far away from his thoughts as soon as he stepped inside the room, only to found his wife pacing and fuming.

"Oh, finally! Thank God you're here! Why haven't you been answering my calls?" She accused him.

He began to loosen his tie and explained himself. "I'm sorry, we had a situation at the—"

Irene interrupted him. "Well, I had a situation here too; one that I am sure is more important than whatever thing might have happened because it involves your sixteen-year-old daughter." She said accusingly.

The man's eyes widened and his heart momentarily stopped. "What? Where's Alex? Is she okay?" He asked, both confused and extremely worried for his daughter's welfare.

The blonde woman saw the worry in her husband's eyes and became conscious that Thomas had misunderstood her. "She's fine. She's….she's fine." Irene said in whispers and rubbed her temple.

Thomas sighed from relief and wore a small smile for a second. Then, he realized what his wife was talking about. _So if this is not about an injury it is about…_

"Olivia." Irene dryly said and Thomas swallowed. He didn't want to see his wife's reaction when he'll told her he knew. "Olivia and Alex had been involved, romantically, for over a month."

The Mayor took a deep breath and sighed. Then, he used an extreme tenderness to look right into his wife's eyes. He tied his gaze to hers and let his eyes speak for him; because he knew he couldn't say it verbally, he couldn't tell the woman he loved he had hid such a big part of their daughter's life from her, he couldn't say aloud what he had done or it would become real and if he didn't say it, then he hadn't done anything wrong and there was no reason for Irene to be mad at him.

Irene saw Thomas' look. She stared at him, waiting for an explanation, waiting for something that would tell her she was wrong.

But nothing came. He just stood in front of her, staring, silently asking for forgiveness.

"You knew, didn't you?" She said, hating her own words.

"I did." Thomas replied feeling the same hate her wife did.

The blonde woman was fuming even more than before.

_How could he?_

Alexandra was their daughter. He had not right to hide the teenager's relationships or anything about her for the matter.

_Stop, stop it, Irene. You know how to react_. There was no need to yell, to turn her husband against her. She needed to be smart. _Calm down, control yourself._ She needed to have Thomas on her side. And she was going to make him understand the graveness of the situation.

"And they have your blessing I see." She spoke slowly, dryly, emotionless.

He nodded. "They do." He added no further commentaries.

"May I ask why?" She wondered. "Because I am sure they hid it from you for a long time too." She reminded him.

Again, Thomas nodded. "Yes, they did." He stated and walked a step closer to his wife. "And even though that I gave them my blessing; because that's what you do when your daughter finds the one person she loves with all her heart. You support her and her partner. You forgive and let love happen."

Irene silently stood in front of him; showing no emotions, performing no actions, hiding all feelings.

Thomas sighed. "I'm sorry I hid it from you. You deserve better from me, but we'll be okay. Won't we?" He rhetorically asked and walked closer to his wife. Once he was less than a foot away, he held her hands and squeezed them together with his own. "So what are you going to do?" He asked with a small touch of gentleness. "Are you going to support them or will they have to fight for your blessing?"

The woman's eyes got slightly wet. _Oh God,_ _Screw self-control. _Irene shook her head. "I can't, Thomas. I can't let that relationship happen." She confessed her husband. "It's our daughter that's in risk here, Thomas. I can't risk her happiness, her life, her future. I _know _I'm doing the right thing here so, please, be on my side this time. I need you to be on my side. I need you to tell me I'm right. Please."

She was crying and begging, and she knew it. And she really didn't care anymore.

Irene felt the man she loved embracing her body caringly and it only make it harder to stop the tears from falling. Thomas ran his head through the woman's blonde hair and unsuccessfully shushed her cry away.

"What is this really about?" He asked, because he knew his wife. He knew there was a real reason that hadn't been said yet and he was determinate to find out what was it.

Irene heard her husband's question and began to cry even harder. How could he know her so well? How could she tell him—tell anyone— the truth?

She thought she had left the past in the past. She had gone to therapy. She had built a new life. But it always seemed to come back, and now, Irene was sure that the kind of pain she went through, that amount of suffer, never went away.

"I was sixteen, nearly seventeen, just like Alex is." She said. "He wasn't that much older, only twenty, but I thought he was going to be the love of my life." Irene confessed. "One summer we worked at the same café and the next one he decided he'd rather study in the West Coast so I had two options: leave my friends and family and ran away with him or stay but lose him forever." Tears streamed down Irene's cheeks. "I was heartbroken. I couldn't choose, so I ask my high-school best-friend for advice. She told me to run away with him, and so I did."

Thomas' eyes expressed the exact same amount of shock Irene thought they would. "I left my parents a note. They looked for me but didn't find me. It didn't mattered though, because it lasted less than a month; and I came back to the city alone, heartbroken and ready to receive the punishment of my life." She made a small pause and continued but not before slightly sighing.

"Later I realized it would have never worked out. We were in different stages of our lives. I wasn't a grown-up and it didn't take him long to notice. Even if we'd stayed together for a couple more months, I'd have wanted different things than in the beginning because I was still growing up and trying to decide what to with my life!" She cried.

"My heart would have been broken either way. Because our timing was tremendously awful and that showed me that we weren't meant to be." Irene looked to her husband with a softer look. "So, please, listen to me. I'm not doing this because I'm overprotective or unfair or anything else. I'm against their relationship because _I know _it won't work." She spoke with determination.

"Olivia's not—" Thomas began saying but Irene interrupted him.

"I know." She sighed. "Despite the fact that she hid away from us her real relationship with Alex; I like Olivia. She's everything I could wish for a daughter-in-law. But she'll hurt Alex and Alex will hurt her, they may not do it on purpose but she will. Our daughter's heart will be broken in a thousand pieces and she won't pick them up to fix it again because she'll be too busy trying to fix her own." Irene's gaze met Thomas'. "I swear it to you: I only want the best for them, both of them."

* * *

><p>Olivia sat on her couch pondering about Elliot's words.<p>

Could he possibly be right?

After all, Irene _had _trusted her. Olivia knew Irene always had suspicions, and yet, she had decided to trust _her._

Olivia had failed the older woman. She hadn't gone clear about hers and Alex's relationship as soon as it happened. She had been paralyzed by her fear and because of that she screwed everything up.

All the decisions she had made, she had done them without thinking about anyone but Alex and herself. Now, she was confronting the consequences of it.

How could Thomas' support matter if Irene was angry and hurt because of her? It was worth to fight for Alex when she knew that she might destroy a family by doing so?

Her cellphone rang and she recognized the ringtone immediately. Olivia ran to pick her phone up.

"_Hey" _

Olivia heard Alex's sad voice in the other line of the phone and her heart nearly shattered into the smallest pieces.

"Hi." The brunette said. "How are you?"

Alex smiled to the phone, just the sound of Olivia's voice made all her problems seem much littler. _"Grounded until menopause."_ She joked. _"But I'm happy to hear your voice. How are _you_ doing?"_

"Better now." Olivia simply replied.

The blonde laughed softly. _"Cheesy, you mean."_

The guard grinned. "Hey! I'm not the one who's happy to hear my voice."

Both women smiled by themselves and the slightly happy mood was easily forgotten when silence took over the conversation.

Tears started appearing in Alex's eyes. _"Liv..."_ The teenager whispered in a sob and it was all Olivia needed to answer the questions she had been asking to herself.

Of course it was worth it. Nothing –_nothing— _could ever compare to the agony she felt when Alex was unhappy. Olivia felt along the blonde. She cried with her, she smiled with her. They were one and it was worth to fight for that 'one'. It would always be.

Olivia shushed Alex. "We're gonna be okay. We have your dad's support after all. And even if that doesn't help, I'm not going to quit on you. You hear that? We are not losing each other, not now, not ever." She said, holding the cellphone as closely as she could. "I love you, Al."

"_I love you too, Liv." _

They didn't stay on the phone much longer, but it was enough for them… at least for now.

* * *

><p>After spending a long time trying to find rhymes that would fit his music, Caleb called it a day and put his guitar somewhere over the floor of his bedroom.<p>

He laid back on his bed and simply stared at the ceiling. He didn't know why he'd work so hard on writing new songs if he knew that he was probably going to get kicked out of the band. After all, he had missed three out of five rehearsals already. So why to bother? Why should he waste an entire day when his song weren't going to be heard by anyone anyway?

One thing he was sure: it was all Alex's fault. If she hadn't been so stupid to get caught or to tell their mom then he would have gone to the rehearsal and he wouldn't be here, sitting in his room by himself, alone, depressed and with self-pity.

It was all Alex's fault.

**What do you think will Irene and Thomas decide? What's going to happen with Caleb? ****What do you think should happen next?**

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it?  
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	48. Privacy Issues

**A/N: Guys, Guys! We've reached the 400 reviews! Mega YAY! Thank you SO much for your support! I've never expect this to end up the way it did and I'm beyond grateful for that!**

**A new chap is up now! So read and enjoy! **

Caleb stared at an unknown point of his bedroom's ceiling and all he could think about was how much Alex had screwed up with his life.

It was as if his sister always needed to be the center of attention. She always had to be the rebellious one and, at the same time, the one that was in the Honor Roll. She was the smartest, the most charismatic, and the one that people always liked the most.

And that was okay by him, because he had his friends, he had his guitar and he had parents who cared about him.

But of course, Alex had wanted more attention. And Caleb had learned at a young age that what Alex wanted, Alex got it.

So she picked a guard that wasn't even on the list the Chief had prepared for them, then she seduced her guard and finally pretended to be in love with her- only to get more attention and to make her siblings less important than her.

_So you want attention, Alex? You're gonna have it._ And the boy's fingers started typing on his laptop's keyboard.

* * *

><p>After her conversation with Olivia, Alex had peacefully drifted into a very deep sleep. She didn't get much of it though, because a ringing cellphone woke the teenager up just after a little over an hour.<p>

Alex rolled over the bed and with one opened eye she took the phone in her hands. "Hello?" She said before yawning and without checking the caller's ID.

"Tell me it isn't true. Tell me you do have codes and you wouldn't do that to me." Alex heard her older brother's voice and got confused.

"Phillip? What..."

He interrupted her. "Alex, are you or are you not seeing Olivia?"

Suddenly, the blonde's eyes opened wildly. "What? How do you know? Did Mom call you? She had no right to!" She cried out and then got ever more confused. "Wait. Why are you so mad?" She asked her brother.

Phillip blurted out a huff. "Really, Alex? You knew I liked her, and a lot. I told you I had plans for her for when I got out of college. Wife-style plans. You really had to convince her to join you into your sexuality's experimentation?" He sighed out his disappointment. "I thought you would _at least_ respect me enough to don't go chase after her."

"First of all, you don't like _her_, you like what you think she might become someday and I tell you this: She'll never be what you want her to be, Phillip, never; second, she only went out with you to make me jealous; and last but most importantly, we love each other. So you know what? I don't care if mom told you because you'd had never understood it even if I was the one who explained it to you."

"Think what you want about me and my opinions Alex, but mom didn't tell me. Caleb tweeted about it like fifteen minutes ago." He explained.

"WHAT?"

The blonde closed her bedroom's door soundly and rushed into her younger brother's room just after hastily throwing her phone over her own bed and leaving the conversation with Phillip without even announcing it to him properly.

* * *

><p>Caleb sat on the bed with his computer over his lap and his mind fuming when he saw Alex abruptly entering the room and, obviously, as angry at him as he was at her.<p>

"Why on Earth would you do that, Caleb? You have no right to stick your head into things that are not of your damn business!" Alex yelled at him and used those words to let all her real anger out.

She didn't wait for an answer, she didn't need to. She simply needed to lay on her bed, cover herself with a warm comforter and have Olivia's arms around her, making her feel safe and in one piece.

But no, that wasn't happening.

So Alex simply turned around without looking at her younger brother and smashed his door closed.

* * *

><p>"What was that?" Irene asked her husband with her eyes still wet from the conversation they were having.<p>

"_You have no right to stick your head into things that are not of your damn business!"_

The couple heard their daughter's potent voice and hurried outside the master bedroom and to the hall.

Just as Irene and Thomas stepped into the hallway, Alex angrily closed Caleb's door.

"What's going on?" The Mayor asked his daughter and received an answer that wasn't very helpful.

"Ask your nosy son." And with that Alex hid herself into her bedroom once again.

Husband and wife exchanged looks and, without needing to say a word, they decided Thomas would be the one to speak with Alex meanwhile Irene talked with Caleb. But in the moment they were separating their paths, Thomas' cellphone rang.

"It's my publicist." He checked the ID and sighed heavily. His wife patted his shoulder.

"It's okay, you take the call and I'll start talking with Caleb." She said and he picked up the call reluctantly.

Irene walked towards Caleb's room but her husband's voice stopped and worried her.

"He did WHAT?"

She saw Thomas' expression and knew she had done right in not entering to the room yet. Irene continued hearing her husband's side of the conversation.

He sighed. "Can you delete it?... Damn!" Thomas complained. "Yes, it is true, well, sort of... No, not in that way but it is true... Okay, I'll call you back."

Thomas rubbed his temple and then looked up to his wife. "Caleb tweeted about Alex and Olivia's relationship." He told Irene and both of them ran to their youngest son's room.

* * *

><p>Alex locked herself inside her bedroom and the first thing she heard when she entered was her cellphone ringing. "Oh, please Phillip, give me a break." She spoke alone as she walked towards her phone and checked the ID.<p>

Fortunately, it wasn't her brother. "Alex! I just saw the tweet. Are you okay?" She listened to Maura's concerned voice at the other end.

"Peachy." The blonde replied ironically. "You know what? I don't care. It pisses me off but, whatever. If Caleb wants to make of his Twitter account a magazine about my life, then good for him. I don't have anything to hide, not anymore." She said proudly.

"Well, you know, preteens and teenagers are very vulnerable victims of the social networks. It is not uncommon that a third reveals data from the teens' private lives."

* * *

><p>"You could at least knock." Caleb talked to his parents dryly and without taking his eyes off the computer's screen.<p>

Irene walked towards his son and shut his laptop in a second. "What were you thinking?" She asked and placed her hand over her temple. "Wait. Don't answer that, I'll do it for you." She told him. "You weren't thinking! Not at all! Because if you…"

His mother's voice started fading in Caleb's mind. He was ignoring every single word she was saying. But it wasn't the first time he did this because, after all, if they ignored him he had the right to do the same, didn't he? So he had learned how to shut himself; how to concentrate in everything but what was surrounding him.

The mother-of-four kept talking and not being listened until her husband realized their son had used his mind to travel towards another world, at least for a while.

"Caleb." He said gently, recapturing his son's attention. "What is this really about?"

Thomas looked at Caleb with soft, fatherly eyes but the boy didn't give in. He'd worked too hard in building up a wall to let them destroy it so easily.

"What?" The preteen snapped. "So I made my sister angry, once. I didn't kill her, so stop talking as if I had made her life a living hell."

**What do you think's going to happen with Caleb? How's Olivia going to react when she finds out their relationship is now public? ****What do you think should happen next?**

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	49. The Magic of Television

**A/N: Hey! Thanks for all the reviews, faves and adds! You guys always make my day! **

**New chapter is up! I know it's short, so sorry! I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

Serena Benson sat at the lounge of her rehabilitation center she had lived in for the past month. Minutes ago, she had been told that in ten days she would start the second part of her rehab program, she was going back home and taking care of her own. And although she'd still have to the center several times a week, Serena couldn't wait to sleep on her bed again.

With a smile on her face and her now sober body relaxed, Serena distributed her attention between the News Channel and the book in her hands.

_"And now, Kate has some spicy last-moment news that involves our Mayor's teenage daughter. What do you have for us, Kate?"_ She heard the reporter saying and looked up with worry in her eyes.

Serena had only met Alex once, at the hospital when Olivia had been shot, but the young blonde had instantly got to her. Alex had been beyond nice to her that day and one could easily notice how scared she had been of something happening to Olivia. Serena was thankful that her daughter had a family as powerful as the Cabots caring about her and it made her proud to think that it was all because Olivia's kindness.

The woman left her book over a nearby table and waited for what the woman on the television would say.

"_That's right Gary. We all learned about Alexandra Cabot's sexuality when during her father's campaign he announced his support for the LGBT community but it seems now that this New York princess has found her pauper."_ Serena smiled. No major injuries for the teenage blonde were good enough but it was great to hear that the young girl had found love.

"_Oh, young love Kate. Isn't it wonderful?" _Gary said and the female reporter shook her head.

"_Well, not for everyone Gary. Just minutes ago, Alex's younger brother Caleb tweeted about the relationship and he didn't seem very happy with it. He said: 'Big sis just back from her gf a.k.a. 24-yo guard's place, TheSoundMakers so sorry for missing rehearsal. Blame's on Alex.'."_

Serena was aware that she would have certainly choked if she had been eating something; because 'twenty-four-year old guard' said her own daughter's name all over it.

"_It looks like twelve-year-old Caleb's not cool with his sister's new relationship but what do the Mayor and his wife think about their daughter dating her eight years older guard?"_ She asked. _"We'll have to wait until tomorrow morning when the question pops-up in the press conference the Mayor had programmed. But until then, we can learn more about the woman who stole soon-to-be seventeen Alexandra's heart_." A picture of said woman appeared on the screen. "_Her name is Olivia Benson and as the tweet says, she's 24-years-old and Alex's personal guard. This isn't the first time we name the brunette on the news. No longer than a few weeks ago, she saved her girlfriend's hand by taking a bullet for her at the birthday party of the youngest Cabot, Amy. Olivia earned her Criminal Justice degree at Siena College and graduated from the Police Academy before joining the NYPD's force to later be a part of the Mayor's Security. And we've received some images taken this morning by a coffee shop's camera."_ The image of Olivia was replaced by one of both women, holding hands as they entered to the shop.

_"They seem happy together, Kate._" The reporter mentioned.

_"They do, let's hope the Mayor and the rest of the family thinks the same about this new couple that's already on my favorites."_

Serena had her stare hung somewhere she didn't even know. Was her daughter truly dating the Mayor's daughter?

Somehow, it made sense now. Last time she'd had dinner with Olivia, the brunette had picked up a call and Serena was sure it had been a call from that 'special-someone'. She'd asked the brunette about it but she had only acknowledged it had indeed been an especial call. But was her daughter truly dating a sixteen-year-old? Serena couldn't believe it. At least she knew that, if it was true, there was zero chance that they had taken it to a deeper level. Olivia knew better.

But still, Serena was speechless.

* * *

><p>Olivia decided to get rid of her high level of emotions by doing some exercise.<p>

She jogged from her apartment to the park and once she'd got there, the brunette started running vigorously.

The exercise didn't free her from her thoughts even a bit. In every corner she turned there was something that would remind her of the teenage blonde.

So once she felt her body getting truly tired, Olivia turned and went back to her building.

She was two blocks away when her phone rang. The brunette checked the ID and answered. "Hey, mom."

_"You said you would tell me if it got any kind of serious, Olivia."_ Serena's accusatory voice was heard in the other line.

"What are you talking about?" Olivia asked confused.

Serena huffed. _"Oh, please, it's on the news, you don't have to hide it. I want to hear your version and know how serious you are about this."_ She explained to her daughter.

Olivia sighed; still unaware of what her mother was talking about. "I've been running for the past hour, I was just going back to the apartment when you called. I don't know what you're talking about."

_"You're all over the television."_

Olivia's brown eyes widened as she crossed the street and saw her building's entrance full of cameras and paparazzi. _What the hell?_

**How do you think Olivia is going to react when she finds out their relationship is public? What are Irene and Thomas going to do now? ****What do you think should happen next?**

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	50. Mothers' Approval

**A/N: **

**Guys! Guys! Guys!**

**IT'S CHAPTER #50! HOW COOL IS THAT? **

**I just have one thing to say for this milestone. THANK YOU. I am truly, deeply, really, really thankful for all your feedback. As you may know, I'm a 16-year-old Argentinian who is simply attempting to write her ideas down in a language that is not her natural one... No, screw that, that was a year ago. Now, I'm a **16-year-old Argentinian who has written down her ideas and embraced a language that, although she'd always loved it, never had the chance to improve it as much as I've done it during the last twelve months. ****

****Just a few of The Guard's stats until the date:****

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****Thank you so so much for each one of these 50 chapters. I hope you enjoy this one!****

Olivia walked back on her feet without taking her brown eyes off the small multitude that was prepared to photograph her.

What was happening?

She turned around the corner to hide from the reporters and walked away from her building towards an unknown destiny. She only remembered her mother was on the phone when she heard Serena's voice calling her name.

"Mom, what's going on? Why am I on TV and why is my building's entrance suddenly full of paparazzi?" The brunette asked confused.

"_Well, according to the lovely woman on the television, who, I'm sure, tells her mother more about her life than you do, that young brother-in-law of yours —the one I wasn't aware of— tweeted about you and your girlfriend— the one I didn't you had."_ Serena said half serious, half joking.

The older woman was mad that she had to learn about her daughter's relationship via television, even more considering Olivia was involved with no one less than the Mayor's teenage daughter! But still, Serena understood her daughter's position and the reasons why she didn't say a thing. And most importantly, Serena trusted her daughter and her actions.

Olivia sighed and rubbed her temple. Out of all of the ways her mother could have find out about them!

Ever since she'd learned about her conception, one of Olivia's goals in life had been to make her mother proud, to be her better self for her. The brunette wanted to make sure Serena knew that, even though Olivia was genetically the daughter of a rapist, she was nothing like him; she wanted to make everything in her power to be sure her mother would never regret having her. Because if Serena was proud of Olivia, Olivia knew she was more than a reminder of the worst day of her mother's life.

So when something like this happened, when she did something that might have upset her mother, regardless how big or small it was, it killed Olivia.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, it's just… complicated."

"_How much complicated?"_ Serena asked gently and the young brunette sighed again.

"We're together." She stated. "But her mother found out this morning and she is _not_ happy with it so I don't know how I am going to convince her that I won't ruin Alex's life."

"_So she _is_ your girlfriend?"_

Olivia heard a hint a teasing on her mother's voice and smiled. "I told you. It's complicated. We never made it truly official or even went out on a real date. We couldn't, not with her mother not knowing and the press possibly outing us."

The brunette looked up to the sky and for the first time that day she felt luck would be on her side. Her relationship with Alex was out. Everyone —_everyone_— knew about it. They wouldn't have to hide anymore. They were free. "Maybe now we'll get the chance to do those things." She said hopeful, more to herself than to her own mother.

Serena smiled to herself and even felt a small, almost imperceptible tear running down her cheek. Her little girl had fallen in love for good. _"Olivia." _She said softly.

"Yeah?"

"_Don't give up on that girl. Even if things don't turn out as you think they will now. You fight for her." _

Olivia hugged her phone closely to her ear and lightly grinned. "Never mom."

Slowly, their conversation drifted off back to Olivia's appearance on the news and Serena detailed her daughter what had been aired specifically. After long minutes the chat ended, but not without Olivia being told that in little over a week her mother was starting the second stage of the rehabilitation and, with that, going back to her home and work.

* * *

><p>Alex was watching a recording of the news on her computer for the first time when she felt her phone ringing. She picked up as soon as she saw it was Olivia.<p>

"_Hey Princess." _The blonde heard the brunette's teasing tone on the other line and smiled as she remembered how the TV woman had nicknamed them.

"Hi Pauper. I assume you saw it then."

"_Close. My mom called me to let me know." _

Alex nodded even though Olivia couldn't see her. "How did that go?" She asked worried that their relationship might affect Serena's rehabilitation.

"_Pretty great actually." _The brunette told her and Alex silently sighed in relief. _"She pretended to be mad for a minute or two and then told me to never let you go." _Olivia said sweetly.

"You should do as she says. Mother knows best, right?" Alex teased and heard a laugh in the other line.

"_I can't believe you said that! I'm gonna call your mom and tell her, she'll be over the moon!" _

Alex belly-laughed. "Oh, shut up." She said playfully.

"_As you say my Princess."_

"You really have to stop calling me like that. It's creepy."

"_It's not creepy! It's sweet. You watch way too many crime shows."_

"Says the one who went to Police Academy!"

"_Touché." _Olivia said as the cars on the way went a little louder and smiled. She'd never win even the attempt of an argument with the blonde, and she was perfectly fine with it.

"Where are you? I barely heard you." Alex asked.

"_I'm going to Casey's. I went out for a run and my building was filled with reporters when I came back, don't think I'm getting anywhere near that." _

Alex was about to speak when she heard a sudden commotion in the hall. "Wait a sec. I'll call you back." She said and with her phone on her hand, the blonde left her bedroom to see what was happening.

As she walked towards the sound she saw her parents along with Thomas' press team arguing.

"There she is!" The team leader, Mark, walked towards Alex. "You are a genius!" The blonde looked at the man with a confused expression. "Dating the blue-blood woman who saved your life? It's the best publicity we could ever dream of! Even more considering the two of you are drop dead gorgeous!"

"What?" Alex asked in disbelief.

"You are not using my daughter or Olivia for publicity." Thomas said with determination.

"Oh, please, Thomas. We both know I wouldn't have to do anything. They just have to stay together for at least a couple months and the people would be happy. It's not like they're faking it." Mark told him and the Mayor sighed.

Thomas looked at his wife and wordlessly told her to consider it. Irene's eyes widened. "Oh, no." She said. "Not a chance you'll convince me of not arguing this relationship for your job's benefit! Don't even think about it Thomas!"

"Irene, please." He said and quickly figured out the best way to convince her. "We have to do it. Not for my job, for Olivia's."

Alex's looked up at her father both confused and worried.

"Now that everyone knows about your relationship I don't know what is going to happen with her job. But if Alex and her stay together publically she can always go back to the NYPD and everyone will realize why she did it. If we make them break up then how do you think her coworkers will treat her?" He explained with a soft voice more to his wife than to his daughter. "Also, if I state in the conference that I don't agree with this relationship that would mean we want to press charges against her."

"But—" Alex began to argue but her father interrupted her.

"I know nothing happened, but still, the rest of the world doesn't know that and won't believe it." Thomas said and with his eyes he told Alex she had nothing to worry about.

The Mayor had understood what this outing meant to Alex and Olivia, a chance for Irene's blessing; even if it was forced at the beginning. It would give the girls time to prove his wife wrong. So he was going to do his best to convince Irene that their only option was to publically announce both of their blessings for the couple and let them be.

Alex didn't quite comprehend her father's goal as he wanted her too but she silenced herself and waited to see what would happen, something that she didn't like to do at the very least.

Moments later, the Mayor invited his press team to his home office and told someone to call Cragen and tell him to come too.

"Olivia should be here." Alex said and all eyes were set on her.

"Alex…" Irene began but her daughter didn't let her continue.

"I don't care if you believe we shouldn't be together. You can think that for as long as you want to and we'll still love each other. But you can't deny Olivia her right to be on this meeting. All of you are going to discuss _our_ future when it's not of your business, the _least_ you can do is to let both of us be present." The teenager spoke and her father nodded.

"Call her." Thomas said and Alex excused herself from the room.

"_Everything alright?" _Olivia asked as soon as she picked up.

"Sort of… Well, maybe not even close… I don't know." Alex said. "I need you to come here."

"_Baby you know I can't do that. I think that if your mom sees me right now she'll probably cut my head off." _

Alex smiled at Olivia's sweet voice and their misunderstanding. "No, I meant that I need you to come here, right now. My parents, your boss and my dad's press team are going to figure out what they should do with our lives." She made a small pause. "I know, cool." Alex said ironically. "But you have to be here."

Olivia sighed. _"Sounds fun. I'll be there in a couple minutes."_

* * *

><p>The blonde had never before felt his father's career as a weight on her shoulders. Alex was always proud of her dad. She admired him for everything he was; for the sixteen-year-old, her father was her role model.<p>

Thomas' passion for his work and his compromise to help the people had always been one of the reasons why Alex wanted to become a prosecutor; she wanted to have the same light on her eyes her father had whenever he did good.

But now, Alex stood with her arms crossed, listening to how her father's publicist planned to 'deal with the situation' and huffed. Who gave them the right to do that? Who told them it was alright to talk about her personal life as if it was national security? It was bad enough to have her parents involved; she certainly didn't need New York City's opinion—regardless they were on her side or not.

It was hers and Olivia's relationship, no one else's.

And no one else should be sticking their noses into it.

Not her brothers, not her parents and certainly not her father's publicists.

But although the teenager was mad at the situation, Alex's anger was _nothing _compared to Irene's.

The mother-of-four couldn't believe a word of what she was hearing.

In most of the TV shows where the news had been discussed, the reporters had been supportive of the young women's relationship. Where did those people have their brains hidden? How could someone in the public media possibly be so supportive of Alex and Olivia's relationship?

"You _have_ to say you give them your blessing. Everyone is in love with the happy couple. You can't be the mean, strict parent when the people don't want you to, we can't afford it." Thomas' publicist said and Irene immediately replied.

"I'm sorry but you don't get to decide _our _thoughts on _our _daughter's love life!" She spoke strongly. "That is definitely not your job."

"I'm afraid, Mrs. Cabot, that it is my job and my concern if it could affect the Mayor's public image." Mark responded with a strength on his voice similar to the one Irene had used, maybe even stronger.

In that same moment, Donald Cragen entered the room and greeted everyone. "Is Benson coming?" He asked and his question was quickly answered by Alex.

"She's on her way."

Cragen nodded.

Silence took over the office for a few minutes until they heard the doorbell ringing.

Almost instinctively, Alex stood up. "I'll go." She said, knowing it would be Olivia, but Irene stopped her and left the room before the young blonde could argue.

The older woman opened the door and wickedly smiled to herself when she saw disappointment, shock and even a bit of fear in the brunette's eyes. Irene's smile didn't last long though and it disappeared for the same reasons it had appeared.

Disappointment.

Shock.

Even a bit of fear.

But what saddened Irene the most was that she found those things in _Olivia's_ face. The older woman cared for the twenty-four year-old more than she would have liked to admit; and she knew without a doubt that Olivia cared for her too.

That was why she changed her wicked smile for a softer, kinder one and warmly welcomed the brunette. "Come in, Olivia. You're just in time." She said motherly and was glad that the only thing she could see in the younger woman's face now was gratitude mixed up with some confusion and surprise.

Olivia entered to the mansion and Irene closed the door and motioned her to go to the office.

"Irene, wait."

The blonde looked up to Olivia and the brunette was just about to continue when the other woman stopped her.

"Please, let me." She said. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you, Olivia. You didn't deserve that. I know you care about us, all of us. And I believe you when you say you love my daughter. But you have to understand that sometimes, love is not enough; and even if there is love there can be suffering. I'm only trying to protect Alex from that; I know you wouldn't hurt her intentionally but we all do and say things we know we'll regret later." Irene made a small pause and went on. "I don't know what will happen in that office today but I want you to know that I care about you and whatever way this might end we'll always be here for you, both me and my husband."

Olivia softly smiled at the woman. "Thank you." She said with a partially broken voice and moments later they were inside the Mayor's home office.

**So? What do you guys think? You know I _love _knowing your thoughts on the story!** **So tell me!**

**What is going to be the final decision? Will everyone agree? Will Olivia be part of the Mayor's security staff after the meeting? What's going to happen when Serena is out of the rehab center? **

**DUN DUN!**

**What do you think should happen next?**

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it?  
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**Click the button below, review and tell me your view on the story!**

* * *

><p><strong><em><span>AN2: This is sort of important.!.!.!_**

__I want to let all of you know that I won't be updating this story for at least a month. I'm sorry! I really am! But tomorrow I fly over to the U.S. and become an exchange student for the next month! (Mega Yay!)

But worry not! I have this story practically figured out up to its end so as soon as I get back to Argentina my fingers won't stop typing!

Thanks again to all of you!

Love,

Barbie**. **


	51. Post-Outing

**A/N: I know, I suck and you rock. I'm ashamed of even thinking how long it's been since an update. But what can I say? Writer's block + Real Life aren't a nice combination. **

**I hope you guys like this chapter and I want to thank you all _so much _for reviewing and keeping reading the fic and being as awesome as you are.**

**Chapter #51: Post-Outing**

Thomas walked the final steps down the aisle that separated him from the crowd of reporters that was anxiously waiting to hear what he had to say.

He breathed in and out several times before turning his gaze away from the black and shiny shoes he was wearing and to his side— where his eyes met Mark's.

"This conference is going to reassure your future as the next New York governor. And who says? It might even put some voters on Alex's side for whenever she starts her own career in politics." The leader of the Mayor's public image team said and Thomas' eyebrow went up.

He'd never thought about Alex following his steps into politics. He'd always been sure her daughter's future was as a prosecutor. But now he thought about it, Thomas was shocked he hadn't ever imagined his sixteen-year-old as something more than New York's District Attorney.

His daughter had the potential to be whatever she proposed herself she wanted to be, even if that goal was to be the first female President of the United States of America. Alex would reach her objective if she persisted with passion and respecting her values.

A proud smile crossed Thomas' face. "Well, we'll have to let her decide whether she wants to get herself into this mess when the time comes."

"I really hope she does choose politics. I already have plenty of ideas for her. She's got the looks, the name and the brains." Mark told Thomas and got himself a disapproving look from his boss.

"You better don't place them in that order again." He said as they got closer to the door.

Mark nodded. "Of course, my apologies." He made a slight pause and grabbed the knob with his right hand. "Now go and give the conference of your life!" The tall man patted the father-of-four's back lightly and opened the door.

Flashes and cameras were the next thing in front of Thomas' sight, and were also the same ones that made him leave his thoughts about his daughter's political aspirations aside and walk towards the podium where he would be answering to the press' questions during the afternoon.

* * *

><p>Olivia sat on the Cabots' household's living room with Alex over her lap when she heard the announcement on the TV that Thomas' conference would start in 'just a few minutes'. She observed how the different reporters made their ways to their designated places and silently prepared the enormous amount of questions regarding hers and Alex's relationship they would ask that day.<p>

"Three minutes!" Alex yelled loud enough so her mother and siblings would listen and join them to watch the conference.

The brunette held the blonde a bit tighter and closer to her and almost immediately, the teenager felt the edginess that filled Olivia's body and relaxed her body into the older woman's hold, trying to comfort her.

"It's going to be great." Alex whispered into Olivia's ear. "Everything's going to turn out okay and no one's going to judge you."

Olivia looked up with loving eyes. "I know." She whispered, even though she said it more for herself than as a reply to Alex's words.

The blonde recognized uncertainty in Olivia's voice and once again she tried to calm the other woman. "I know you know that…" She playfully began. "…but I don't think you realize that that means you're gonna have to ask me out sooner rather than later… and I hope you have something big planned out, Olivia. I'm not easily impressed, you know, I'm New York City's princess after all."

Olivia smiled, all her worries forgotten as she let out a small giggle. "I hope the unicorn I got you will be enough, my highness."

Alex laughed. "Oh, yes, a unicorn will be perfect. Well, as long as it is blue with green dots and pink stripes and has a diamond tiara."

The brunette shook her head. "How could I have forgotten about the tiara? Please, please forgive me, Princess Alexandra."

The soon-to-be seventeen-year-old hummed. "I don't know… Maaaaybe if you kissed me I would consider forgiving you for forgetting how I like my unicorns." She said and waited less than a second to feel Olivia's soft lips caressing hers.

"You are gross." The couple broke the kiss as they heard Caleb's voice.

Alex rolled her eyes. "If you didn't want to see that you shouldn't have outed us."

Caleb sat down at the opposite edge of the couch the two women were sharing and glared at his sister. "I didn't write that to out you. Not everything has to be about you Alex."

The blonde turned to her brother and was about to snap back when she felt Olivia's hand squeezing hers. Alex looked to the brown eyes in front of her and sighed.

"Whatever." She carelessly replied Caleb before leaving her spot over Olivia's lap and taking a new one next to the brunette.

Just as Olivia rested her arm on Alex's shoulders and the blonde snuggled closer against the brunette, Irene entered the room and took the gap in the couch between her children.

The mother-of-four looked to her side and found her daughter's face relaxed and her body buried into Olivia as much as possible.

Irene slightly shook her head to herself. _Why on earth did I invite her to be here today?_

* * *

><p><em>"I think it's gonna be great." Mark shook his boss' hand with a grin.<em>

_"Let's hope so." Thomas said with a half-smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."_

_The publicist nodded and moments later he had abandoned the mansion. In the second the door was closed, the Mayor turned around to find his wife._

_"Are they all gone?" She asked and sighed after he nodded and articulated a relieved "Yeah"._

_"Thank Goodness!" Irene exclaimed. "I thought today's meeting was never going to end."_

_Thomas giggled and surrounded his wife's light body with his strong arms. "I know." He said. "It did turn out better than I expected, even though guilt's one of my feelings right now."_

_Irene's eyes widened. "Guilt? Why guilt?" She asked concerned._

_"The meeting we've just had was because of me but not about me. It was about the girls, about Olivia mainly." Thomas said. "She had to sit down and listen how people that are strangers to her discussed her future. One thing is to have us discuss her relationship with our daughter or to have Chief Cragen discuss how that might affect her job performance but she didn't need my entire public image team telling her what to do or say if some paparazzi comes near her… Hell, she doesn't need any paparazzi near her."_

_The blonde woman sighed. "I know. I feel the same way. I don't even know how or why she put up with this press mess at all."_

_Thomas smiled knowingly. "Love, maybe?" He said and waited for his wife to raise her gaze up enough to meet his own. "We do all kind of things we usually wouldn't do because of love."_

_Irene looked at him and slightly chuckled. "That the worst attempt you've made to convince me into giving Alex and Olivia my blessing." She told him with a smile on her face and laughter in her voice._

_Thomas sighed with a bit of joy. "Probably." He recognized that some of what his wife had said was true. "But I know you too know that's why she did it—because she loves our daughter."_

_"Probably." The woman said, recognizing that her husband's words also had a little bit of sense if you thought them out thoroughly._

* * *

><p><em>"That wasn't so awful." Olivia said to Alex as they walked down one of the mansion's hallways leading to the main entrance.<em>

_The blonde looked at her incredulous. "Are you kidding me? They sat and talked about our –your— future for an hour without even caring you were there!"_

_Alex stopped walking and grabbed Olivia by the arm. "Why didn't you say anything? Are you okay with what they decided?" She asked, concerned since the tall brunette had remained in silence during the entire meeting._

_Olivia sighed. "I'm trying to win your mom's trust here. So whatever they want to do, I'm okay with it as long as it leads me in that direction." She answered Alex's question and held her hands. "I don't care where I spent my work hours; I just want to know I'll be able to spend my free time with you."_

_Alex smiled at Olivia's words. "How did I get so lucky to have you?"_

_The brunette shrugged. "You keep me young. And I've always wanted to see my face on TV." She joked and Alex laughed before kissing her and resuming their walking._

_"I really hope you don't get any fans." The blonde said after a couple steps. "There's no way I'm sharing you with hundreds of crazy women."_

_"Oh please, I won't have hundreds of fans… It'll probably be more like thousands." Olivia corrected her and Alex laughed just as they got near the main door and saw the blonde's parents._

_"You're not staying for dinner, Olivia?" Thomas kindly asked the brunette as soon as he saw her._

_The guard shook her head. "Thank you for the invitation but I should get going." She respectfully rejected the offer._

_Thomas nodded. "Have a good night then." He said with the characteristic politician smile that had become his regular one. "Don't forget to watch the conference tomorrow."_

_"At noon, channel 6." Olivia memorized out loud and was about to say her goodbyes when Irene spoke and surprised everyone with her words._

_"Why don't you come and watch it here with us?" The middle-age woman asked the 24-year-old and would have paid to stop time and take pictures of everyone's faces when she said that._

_It took Olivia—and also Thomas and Alex— several moments to realize that Irene was the one inviting her. But once she had processed the situation, the brunette was the one who broke the silence; even though her words did ramble a bit at first. "Uh, yeah… Sure!" She said and flashed a grin._

_"Great." Irene said with a small but warm smile and reached over to give Olivia a goodbye hug._

_Father and daughter witnessed the scene in a state of shock that, even though it was indeed enormous, it didn't even compared to how paralyzed the brunette felt at that exact same moment._

_As soon as Olivia felt Irene's arms around her body she froze. She returned the embrace to the older woman but lightly, not knowing which would be the appropriate way to hug Irene considering the circumstances. Thankfully, after a couple of short but endless seconds, the mother-of-four broke apart from Olivia._

_As of reflect, Thomas took his wife's place and hugged the brunette goodbye. "Good job today." He whispered in her ear before taking a step back and letting his daughter bye Olivia._

_Seconds later, Alex took Olivia's hand and brought the brunette slightly closer to her. "So I'll be seeing you tomorrow then." She affirmed and leaned over to kiss Olivia but spoke one more time before doing so. "Let me know if the media's still at your doorstep when you get there." The blonde said caressing the other woman's lips with her whisper and, after she'd received a nod in response, Alex gently kissed Olivia goodbye._

* * *

><p>Olivia lay on her bed the night of the conference unable to sleep as her mind wondered throughout the weekend's events.<p>

She had woken up on Saturday next to Alex and they stayed in bed until the blonde's stomach claimed for their attention. They left the apartment and returned minutes later, breakfast in hand.

Then Irene had called and Olivia would always remember the exact words Alex had said to her mother: _"She loves me. Olivia loves me unconditionally. And I love her back. I love her so much."_

After the confession, time had passed extremely fast but Olivia didn't forget a detail.

Irene had come to her apartment, they talked and Olivia encouraged them to go back to the mansion and have a mother/daughter conversation. As soon as Alex left with Irene, Olivia was a mess.

She called Casey and the redheaded had come to help, unsuccessfully trying to assure her friend everything would be okay. Minutes had passed and it'd been Casey's time for going back to her own apartment. But barely an hour later, another visitor knocked on Olivia's door— this time, unexpectedly.

Stabler had showed up out of nowhere and barked about how inappropriate her relationship with Alex was. The brunette growled to herself as she reminded their conversation.

_"I love her. The last thing I want is to see her suffering."_

_"Then get out of that family's sight."_

"That conversation's so not over." Olivia said in the darkness of her bedroom and made a mental note to approach the subject as soon as she got the chance.

But the brunette quickly dismissed all thoughts about her coworker as she kept going through the weekend's events.

Later on Saturday, she had received a call with Alex's soft voice and they'd talked for the first time ever since the blonde left the brunette's apartment. _"I'm not going to quit on you." _Had been Olivia's words and not a thing she has ever said had been truer than that.

When she hanged up the phone with Alex, Olivia was too emotionally stressed to find a moment of peace with herself; so instead of pacing around her home, the tall woman had put on her running shoes and left for a jog in the park. The last thing she'd expected was for her own mother to call her and say both she and Alex were all over the news.

The meeting at the mayor's office had turned out much better than expected and the news were spread through all New York City and, for a small second, Olivia felt that maybe… just maybe, things might start falling into their places once again.


	52. Monday

**A/N: I'm endlessly thankful for all your awesomeness.**

**Hope you guys like this chapter!**

Monday mornings were usually loathed by the regular working-class person. They were reminders that a relaxing weekend had ended and the start of the stressful, full of work week. But unlike most people, Olivia had never felt that characteristic hate towards Mondays. That had been, of course, until the Monday after the press conference.

Olivia adjusted the buttons of her white shirt and zipped up her dark slacks before quickly pouring coffee inside her tumbler. She took a sip from her drink and relaxed her shoulders.

She wasn't nervous.

_Of course_ she wasn't nervous.

Why would she be?

There was no real reason to be nervous.

After all, it was the same job she'd been doing for the past two months; the only difference being that now she wouldn't be guarding the Mayor's daughter, the same one that happened to be her love, but the Mayor himself who insisted that she called him by his first name outside work hours. And there was also the fact that previously, she had work all by herself and now it was her and a group of other three guards… and the fact that those guards were aware that she was involved with Thomas Cabot's daughter…

"_Nothing to worry about."_ Olivia said to herself, hoping her mind would believe it.

She hadn't received any death threats yet, that was a good sign, right? She certainly hoped so.

As Olivia closed her apartment's door and walked down the steps of the building's stairs she wished she could stop the clock and have a few more minutes-and why not, hours- to calm herself down. Unexpectedly, she felt her phone vibrating, announcing the arrival of a new text message. _'Good luck today. Don't get my dad killed.' _The brunette smiled at the screen.

'_Good luck to you too. Don't get your knew guard to kill himself.'_

'_I promise nothing. Do you know who my new victim is?'_

'_No clue. Cragen didn't mention it and I tried to control myself and not ask.'_ Olivia replied and it didn't take long for her to get another text.

'_Oh, well. Then I'll have to work twice as hard to know the poor guy's weaknesses._' The tall guard grinned at her phone and left her apartment's building.

Moments later, a final message came in. _'I'm glad you're still a guard.'_

* * *

><p>Irene jumped out of the car with her guard following behind and walked by the door of her office's building.<p>

The woman was tense and Elliot could easily notice it.

The elevator left them on the desired floor and they paced towards the wooden door signalized with Irene's name. After passing through the blonde's secretary, Stabler started to make his way to his usual spot until he heard Irene's voice calling him.

"Would you mind coming in for a minute?" The mother-of-four pointed to her office and the man followed, closing the door behind him.

"Is everything alright?" The guard asked concerned.

In the past weeks he had become fond of the woman. It surprised him at the beginning how much alike they were, considering the vast amount of differences between their backgrounds, but with both of them being parents of four children, the pair bonded naturally.

They had shared stories about their parenting experiences and it wasn't unusual for one to ask the other 'how were the kids doing'.

Irene nodded slightly. "I believe so. But I would like your opinion." She said without any further explanation.

Stabler's eyebrow quirked. "On what matter?" He asked even though he felt he already knew the answer.

The blonde spoke with her eyes and the man didn't have to ask anything else.

"Well, if I have to be honest…" Elliot began. "I wouldn't like to be in your place." He said. "If my sixteen-year-old daughter dated a twenty-four-year-old I don't think I would approve. And God knows I'll make the candidate's life a living hell if they hid it from me."

Irene looked down at the floor and sighed. Elliot gave her exactly the response she thought he would. What she couldn't decide anymore was if that was the right answer.

"Now that that's been said…" He continued after seeing the woman's reaction. "I don't think you can control the situation how it is now. Not without risking both your daughter's love and your husband's career." Irene upped her gaze and their eyes met. "What does he think about this?" Elliot asked.

"Thomas approves." She told him in a sigh. "He says that Alex is happy and we should be enjoying our daughter has found someone who loves her. He said he thought Olivia was wonderful and—"

"And do _you_ think that?" Elliot interrupted.

"Of course I do." The blonde said without a doubt but questioned where the man's curiosity on that specific matter came from. "Why are you asking?"

Stabler stayed silent for a moment, considering what to answer.

"What is _your _opinion about Miss Benson, Elliot?" Irene asked, trying to understand her guard's point of view.

The father-of-four sighed. "I think that she, as an adult, made a huge mistake when she got herself involved with your daughter." He admitted. "I believe that was childish, inconsiderate and, honestly? Stupid; regardless which her intentions were, she's an adult and she has to act like one."

Irene's gaze fell to the floor, she knew Elliot was right. Olivia was an adult, even if she saw her as her child; the guard was a grown woman who had made a terrible mistake by pursuing a relationship with a teenager.

"Although…" The man continued. "I believe that her intentions should affect the conclusion you have when you ask yourself 'What do I do now?'. I don't think she intended to hurt either Alex or anyone else. Maybe she didn't realize what she was getting herself into until she was fully involved."

The woman's eyes met the man's and Irene asked the other question that was tormenting her. "Do you think I might be crazy for being willing to give them a chance?"

Elliot gave her a sad, half smile. "You're trying to protect your relationship with your daughter. That can't be crazy."

Irene smiled back and silence took over the room for an instant or two until Elliot spoke again. "So who's Alex's new guard?"

* * *

><p>Alex looked to her side and tried to catch a glimpse of the person sitting next to her. Blonde hair with some sort of dark roots, a pair of light eyes starting at the road and the uniform suit impeccably presented.<p>

The teenager was indeed intrigued by her new guard, especially since they had already driven half the way to school and her copilot had yet to say a full sentence to her that wasn't "Good Morning."

"So you've been working as a guard for how long?" Alex asked, trying to get some words out of her new guard.

"I've been here since before you we're born." Was the reply she got, along a sigh that Alex couldn't quite figure what it meant.

* * *

><p>Caleb walked out of his classroom and walked straight to his locker ready for his lunch break. He opened it and grabbed the sandwich properly saved in a Ziploc bag. The preteen took a bite of it and, with a bottle of coke in his hand; he paced through the school's hall until he spotted the free seat in the patio he was able to get thanks to rushing his step.<p>

All of this Caleb did without turning to acknowledge his guard's company. He knew Fin followed him after leaving the classroom, he felt the man's presence; but that didn't mean he they had to speak.

Well, at least that was true for Caleb.

"Hey kid, are you okay?"

He heard Fin's voice and shrugged. "Why wouldn't I?" Caleb replied giving as little importance to the question as he could.

"Well, your tweet was kinda harsh; you're not like that boy." The guard said kindly and put his hand over his protégée's shoulder before being instantly rejected.

"You don't know me."

Fin shivered at the coldness in Caleb's voice.

"And it's not your job to do so."

* * *

><p>The quality of the image he saw on the small TV pleased him greatly.<p>

The Mayor walked out of the City Hall followed by his team and guards. As soon as the group stepped outside of the building the zoom was directed to one specific person, just like he had wanted it.

The camera focused on Olivia and one could hear the voices of the reporters back at the studio. _"Just like Mayor Cabot said yesterday when we asked about Miss Benson's future, the brunette is back on the job." _The woman on the television said. _"And I have to admit Gary; she does look good with that uniform."_

"_That she does Kate. But I wouldn't say it to loud in case New York's princess might hear you. Sources have confirmed to us the young couple watched yesterday's conference at the Mayoral house, along with the rest of the Cabot clan."_

"_Does that mean Olivia has been welcomed to the family?"_

"_Well, we don't know for sure as the Mayor wouldn't talk about his daughter's relationship with the guard but it looks like Security in the Mayor's Office is now a family business."_

Mark smiled to himself as he turned the TV off and called the news channel to applaud their work. He was indeed satisfied with their response to his petition.

**Will Irene decide whether she supports Alex and Olivia or not? Who will be Olivia working with? What's gonna happen with Caleb?**

_**Who's Alex new guard?**_

**DUN DUN!**

**What do you think should happen next?**

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it?  
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**Click the button below, review and tell me your view on the story!**


	53. Tuesday

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I edited and rewrote this chapter around a thousand times and I hope it will clear out some stuff that's been hanging around. Thanks for the support and all the ficlove, I truly appreciate it!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

For what it seemed the thousandth time that morning, Olivia checked a printed paper given to her the week before; because maybe, if she wished for it, if she believed in fairies or if she was brave, truthful and unselfish, the letters in black might rearrange themselves—and then she wouldn't be required to be Irene's guard today.

The brunette took a peak of her schedule and sighed heavily.

Still the same schedule.

_Mondays – Thomas_

_Tuesdays – Irene_

_Wednesdays – Caleb_

_Thursdays – Amy_

_Saturdays – Thomas_

_Sundays – If needed._

The days and names were placed in the same order they had been mere seconds ago. _At least I'm not hallucinating. _Olivia thought and shrugged off her worries.

Things with Irene had gone smoother. The mother-of-four's position definitely wasn't the same that had been in Saturday's morning. Though that didn't mean Olivia wasn't scared of the woman or in the need of her approval.

But the harder and longer days always started with the thing you wanted to do the least. The brunette gave a second to that thought as she ran an olive-skinned hand through her hair and slipped the small piece of paper back into her pocket before entering to a café nearby the Cabot residence.

As soon as she was inside, Olivia spotted Elliot Stabler already sat at a table for two with a paper cup between in hands and another one in front of him. _Was that another sign of a peace offering?_

Olivia had been surprised when she had received the man's call the night before. He asked her to meet, with the excuse he wanted to give her some tips for being Irene's guard. The brunette knew better and didn't believe that was the reason for a second but she wasn't going to reject a free cup of good caffeine.

"Morning, Stabler." She greeted him as she took her seat.

Elliot kindly pushed the untouched coffee towards the woman. "Morning."

"Thanks." Olivia said and slipped part of the warm liquid through her throat. "So you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, I think I owe you an apology." The man said and once it was clear the brunette wasn't going to comment, he continued. "My daughter Maureen is closer to Alex's age than I would like her to and I let my emotions rule me the wrong way around. But I know you didn't want to do any harm— Love makes us blind and stupid, that, I can understand. I was completely out of line the other day."

"Yeah, you were." Olivia stared at him in silence for a minute before speaking again. "But I guess I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes." She gave him a small smile that let Elliot know his apology had been accepted. The man nodded, silently thanking to woman's forgiveness, and took a sip of his coffee.

They remained quiet for several moments until the brunette broke the ice with a small joke. "I'm surprised you didn't try to buy me off with some donuts."

Elliot chuckled. "You can take the girl out of the NYPD but you can't take the police officer out of the girl?" He pointed out. "Guards do bagels more than donuts."

Olivia blurted some laughter out that couldn't be contained; the remark Stabler had made was way too silly to not belly-laugh about it.

* * *

><p>Though her place wasn't too far away from the Mayoral house, it was going to take a while for Jo Marlowe to get used to driving all her way to the mansion again.<p>

_Again._

That thought cracked a smile on the guard's face.

The day before she had had the most fun she had in years; _confusing a curious teenager will definitely never get old_, Jo thought as she turned around the corner.

She had been resistant to return to the Mayor's Security Team even after the Chief himself had called her.

"_You're the only one I know she'll take seriously. I need you back, Marlowe."_

The conversation the blonde had shared with the bald man would never leave the woman's memory— and it would certainly never stop feeding her ego either.

But, for Jo Marlowe, the first day had always been about testing the waters, learning the subject's strengths and weaknesses and, more importantly, how to control those. So she had done little talking on Monday, something that, she easily noticed, had irritated the teenager under her protection. Jo took note that Alexandra Cabot liked knowledge and control as much as she did; hopefully, that wouldn't be an issue for the two of them, as long as the young blonde knew which ones were their respective places.

* * *

><p>"<em>Damn!"<em>

Alex heard her parents' voices cursing behind the master bedroom's door and softly chuckled. _And then they say blondes are stupid. _She thought and walked her way back to her own room.

As she zipped her jacket and grabbed her bag the sound of the doorbell invaded her ears. The blonde checked the hour and smiled cheerily. _Just in time._

Alex knew that, immediately after the bell had ringed, Irene had left her bedroom to see who was standing outside the door. It was a habit her mother couldn't stop herself from having, not even when her alarm clock didn't wake her up and was late to start her day.

The teenager waited in silence for a moment or two and then walked to the end of the hall, her back glued to the wall next to the staircase and her senses at their best; thankfully, her mother's speech was high enough for her to listen. _"Wait here, I'll be ready in a few minutes."_

The blonde quickly paced towards the inside of her bedroom and accommodated her glasses. After she heard a door being shut, Alex made her way downstairs.

Near the received hall, she spotted the brunette who had stolen her heart mere months ago. "Hey there." Alex said softly as she got closer to her.

Olivia's warm smile displayed for Alex's deep blue eyes. "You wouldn't have anything to do with that fact that your parents' alarm didn't ring this morning, wouldn't you?"

The younger woman giggled mischievously. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Thin lips curved into a smirk. "I thought so." Olivia said and stood from her seat, closing the small distance between Alex and her.

Alex hooked her pale arms behind Olivia's neck and sweetly kissed the brunette as she felt strong hands caressing her hips. "Good morning." She breathed when their temples mashed together and their lips were barely apart.

"Morning." Olivia replied before stealing one more, chaste, kiss and settling a small but appropriate distance between them. She didn't want to ruin things with Irene before they even started their day.

The blonde understood Olivia's actions and respected the gap that separated their bodies… or at least she promised herself to do her very best to.

"So…" The brunette began with a smile creeping over her face.

"So…" Alex mimicked her and Olivia continued.

"What's your new guard like?" She asked curiously.

Alex used a few seconds to find the perfect word to describe Jo Marlowe and then replied. "Peculiar."

Olivia's eyebrows narrowed. "Peculiar? How?"

"Weird. She barely said anything yesterday and when she did talk she said that she had been working or the office for forever but I've had never seen her before so I can't quite understand if she lied to me or what, I mean, who lies to the Mayor's daughter on their first day on the job? It's not something very clever to do. But what really creeped me out was that she didn't say more than five sentences to me in all day and it was simply frustrating."

The brunette nodded. "Maybe she's just quiet." She said and then smirked. "Or you talk way too much and didn't let her talk—Ouch! Hey, no karate moves allowed!"

The teenager smiled. "You earned that yourself."

Olivia scowled and muttered "Yeah, sure." She ran a hand through her dark hair and continued. "Anyway, I believe you're overthinking it. Stop trying to rationalize everything and just let the woman do her job. I'm sure she's great at it."

Alex's gaze fell to the floor as she sighed. "Okay."

"Also, is paintball happening?" Olivia asked and Alex nodded.

"On the weekend probably. I was thinking on Sunday since you're my dad's guard on Saturday and I can't wait to beat you."

The guard replied seriously. "You wish." And after a few moments of silence and an endless exchange of gazes, she spoke. "You know… I owe you something…"

The blonde looked at her confused. "What would that be?"

Olivia's smile turned into an instant grin that she saved exclusively for the young woman in front of her. "A date, a real date."

Blue eyes lighted up and she cursed her teenage hormones for not letting her hide her excitement. But then, she looked at the brunette's dark pupils and didn't care. She didn't have to be cool and pretend she wasn't over the moon, she was with Olivia, she just had to let herself feel.

Seeing the blonde's grin, Olivia took pale hands in her own and continued. "I'll pick you up on Friday after your session with Dr. Warner." She said and thanked her knowledge of Alex's exact schedule by heart. "And you're lucky that I'll have to double my efforts because it's also your birthday."

The teenager laughed but shook her head. "No way. You gotta give me at least an hour after my session. Birthday or not, it _is _our first real date after all. I need to dress up."

"I've seen you waking up with your hair slightly messed up and your eyes half-shut and it was the most beautiful sight I've ever had. You don't need to dress up, not on Friday, not ever."

Olivia's sweet voice made its way to Alex's ears and the younger woman bit her lower lip and squeezed the hands holding her.

"But if you want to, I can come and pick you up at six thirty. Then you'll have over two hours to unsuccessfully try to make yourself more stunning. Would that be okay?" The guard continued.

Alex nodded. "You truly are doubling your efforts, aren't you?" She said playfully.

Olivia shrugged. "I'm only stating the truth."

"Then I love your point of view." The blonde said and leaned in to kiss the tall brunette.

A forced, fake cough interrupted and the couple broke apart immediately.

"Morning." Thomas' voice echoed in the room as Olivia's face reddened.

The girls replied, Alex doing her best to hide all the laughter that Olivia's embarrassment provoked in her. The man walked towards them and kissed his daughter's cheek before whispering loud enough so both young women could hear him. "Girls, do a favor to yourselves and control the hormones near Irene's danger zones. Okay?"

Both Alex and Olivia nodded. Thomas excused himself from the room and headed to the kitchen.

"He's right. No PDAs near danger zones." Olivia said seriously but Alex pouted.

"But where's the fun if I can't publicly display my affections to you?" The blonde told the guard just as Irene walked down the stairs.

The awkwardness established the moment Irene stood in front of the couple lasted only a few seconds thanks to the sound of the doorbell barging in their ears.

"That must be your guard." Irene said to her child.

"Yeah." Alex nonchalantly mumbled and kissed her mother's cheek. "Have a nice day, mom."

The teenager rushed to Olivia and sweetly pecked her goodbye, minding very little about Irene's presence and what both her father and the brunette had advised mere moments ago.

Alex displayed a light smirk to Olivia, letting her know she had won yet another argument without even needing to actually argue, and headed towards the main entrance. "Don't scare her too much, mom!" She yelled as she walked out of her house and added. "Love you both!"

* * *

><p>Beautiful images of national figures and masterly crafted timelines were some of the items that decorated the walls of Alex's US History class, not that the blonde had ever noticed the magnificent details presented in them or wondered why her teacher had chosen those and not others to display in her classroom— she had yet to feel bored enough during Mrs. Lucas lessons to stare and contemplate the adornments' specific characteristics.<p>

Mrs. Lucas may not have been one of Alex's favorite people but she certainly knew how to teach teenagers history. The young blonde found herself easily taken to past times and the way her teacher described the environments, the people and the circumstances almost made it seem as if everything was happening right in front of her and her classmates' eyes. Today was not the exception and Alex listened how the woman in her late-sixties verbalized the early years of the USA.

At least that was what she was doing until she felt a nudge on her shoulder and her name being softly called by the teen sitting behind her.

Alex turned her head around and acknowledged the dark haired boy who only wanted to ask her about an assignment given by another teacher. 'C_ouldn't he wait until the end of the period?' _The blonde sighed in her mind and replied him.

"Alexandra." The sound of her name being said by Mrs. Lucas makes the young woman stiffen immediately. "Please use your breaks to tell Mr. Zirnkilton all the details about your adventures with Olivia Benson or better yet, save all those stories for yourself and stop both talking during my classes and appearing on my TV."

Outside the classroom, Jo heard the bell ringing, announcing the end of that morning's second period, and didn't have to wait long for her protégée to leave the classroom.

The Cabot girl was the first one of her class to get in the hallway and went on walking without stopping to look if the new guard was anywhere around, but said guard did noticed and wondered what had happened during the last hour and a half for Alexandra to change her behavior so brusquely.

Either way, it wasn't her job to protect the teenager's feelings so she simply followed the annoyed blonde through the school up to the next classroom. Once they were there, she found a spot to set herself in for the following hour and a half.

* * *

><p>Standing in front of an antique mirror, Irene finished fixing her hair. Olivia stood respectfully a few feet away and barely dared to look at the woman. She was certainly going to murder Alex after what she'd said. <em>'Don't scare her too much, mom!'. Really? <em>

Out of all the things the brunette could think of, the young blonde had simply yelled the one that left her in the most awkward of places.

Of course, the moment Alex had stepped out of the household, Irene had shrugged off the commentary and continued to prepare herself for the day—using her ability to ignore Olivia's presence as the perfect way to avoid a conversation, both women knew, was coming sooner rather than later.

Once the mother-of-four had finished the final touches on her outfit and gathered all the things she needed for the day, the pair walked out of the Cabot mansion and drove their way to Irene's office where they spent the morning.

At lunchtime, Irene was due to assist a charity fundraiser. They arrived to the restaurant where the meal was being held and the place was packed with celebrities and, the always faithful, reporters.

The blonde strutted down the red carpet regally, cameras instantly turning around to snap a picture. Olivia stood a couple feet apart but kept her eye on the older woman. She couldn't hear a single fragment of the conversation Irene was having with an interviewer but after a few moments she saw the politician's wife motioning her guard to join her and mouthing something along the lines of "Come here.".

The brunette took some steps and felt Irene's hand on her forearm— it was then when Olivia understood that she was going to form part of that interview and, probably, also several more.

The guard's lips curved into a forced but relaxed smile she didn't even know she could do and her voice answered the questions fluently.

Later on, once they were all sitting in their respective places and enjoying the fundraiser, Olivia caught Irene staring at her and the leggy brunette saw something in the mother-of-four's eyes she certainly didn't expect. Was it appreciation? Gratitude? Maybe Irene was only staring at a blank point and Olivia happened to be there… but that chance fought fifty-fifty with the chance that she might have seen a spark of care for her in Irene's gaze.

The cushions of an old couch were discarded and left lying in random places over the wooden floor and the television aired some late-night comedy show that didn't actually make Jo Marlowe laugh; certainly not the best way to relax after a day of work but it was the best she had and she would take it— one could always do worse.

_Isn't that true?_

The blonde sighed as she heard a knock on her door. People should really learn good manners and never show up at someone's house in the evening. Jo didn't move until she felt a second clout against her apartment's main entrance along with a shout.

"Marlowe, I know you're there, we need to talk."

She froze the moment she recognized the voice. She knew it would happen sooner or later, yet she had hoped for the second option. Why? Because she wasn't ready to explain the reasons of her disappearance from work.

The blonde thought she heard a sigh coming from the other side of the door. "Jo, listen, whatever it was why you left, I won't judge you. I'm just glad you're back and… I don't know. I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to… well, I'm here." Elliot said and made his way out of the building.

**How's Olivia going to handle being in the spotlight? How will Alex's birthday -and, our girls first date!- turn out? Will Irene give them her approval for good? How will Alex handle the pressure at school? Will Jo realize what's happening and stop it? Won't she? **

**Dun Dun!**

I feel good because none of you figured out it was Jo. I probably shouldn't but I do LOL.

**What do you think should happen next?**

**Did you like the chapter? Did you hate it?  
><strong>

**Any kind of suggestions, commentaries and critics are welcomed!**

**Click the button below, review and tell me your view on the story!**


	54. Wednesday

**A/N: I could never say sorry enough for the delay! Thank you for waiting and special thanks to the awesome reviewers who kept pushing me to continue writing. There will be around four more chapters I believe and this story will be over, thank you for your support! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Next one will be up next Monday!**

Blue eyes tried to stay open as their owner took another sip from her caffeinated drink but were unsuccessful. Alex ran a hand through golden hair and used it to stop a yawn. She threw her upper body against the icy marble of the kitchen's island. The blonde groaned, expressing how much the simple fact of being awake annoyed her at the moment.

"Good morning." Alex heard her mother's teasing voice and mumbled something that hardly sounded alike "morning".

Thomas walked in right after Irene had, with a sleepy Amy in his arms. "Looks as if neither princess has woken up yet." He said to his wife and placed a chaste kiss on his younger daughter's forehead.

Irene nodded and worked fast to prepare breakfast for her seven-year-old. Meanwhile, her husband placed Amy on the stool next to Alex's and filled their mugs with coffee.

The marriage shared a known smile at the sight. Both of their daughters had, once again, fallen into Morpheus' arms in an instant. Alex and Amy were unaware of their surroundings, in such a profundity, that neither of them noticed the main door being knocked.

"See if you can wake at least one." Irene said to Thomas before leaving Amy's cereal ready on the counter and heading off to invite the first guard inside the house.

The Mayor ruffled both of the girls' hairs and made failed attempts to get them off their sleep. He only received answers from Alex, who murmured something along the lines of "Five more minutes." but Thomas was sure his daughter wasn't even conscious as she said it.

The door opened and Olivia saw it was Irene on the other side. She gave a warm smile to the older woman and entered to the mansion once she was invited to do so.

Part of the brunette wished someone else had answered the door. She wasn't up to small talk with Irene, even if it was for less than three minutes. That had been the whole unofficial schedule they've done on Tuesday as the Mayor's wife had avoided the big elephant in the room in a continuous way.

"Follow me. Everyone's in the kitchen." Irene said and started walking but Olivia didn't follow. It was time to be serious.

"Irene." She called her and waited for the blonde to turn. When light eyes met darker ones, the older woman thought she knew what Olivia was going to say. The brunette sighed and spoke. "Would you give us your blessing?"

The mother-of-four stood staring at the guard. Well, that wasn't precisely what she had expected. Irene thought Olivia would ask of the interviews they had done during the past day or wonder if she had given the proper answer in them. Anything but that. Anything but specifically asking _the_ question she wanted to know the answer.

Olivia waited patiently for Irene's answer but after a long minute without getting one she decided to speak again and build her case. "I love your daughter and I—"

Then, she was interrupted by Irene. "I know you do." The woman said and Olivia was more or less convinced she could listen a small sum of pain in her crackled voice. The blonde looked to the floor and raised up her gaze after a moment. "Just… please, don't break her heart."

"I won't." Olivia assured her and the smaller part of Irene was the one who didn't believe her this time.

The older woman took a step forwards and embraced the young guard. "I've never seen her this happy." Irene confessed in a whisper that brought an immense grin to Olivia's face.

"I'm sure my mother could say the same thing about me." The brunette said with joy as they broke their hug.

Irene gave her a soft, motherly look and caressed the side of her face. "You have my blessing, Olivia." She said and her voice turned faintly stricter. "Don't waste it."

Thomas smiled when he saw Olivia entering the room after his wife. "Our savior." He gasped. "Would you try waking them?"

The brunette giggled at the adorable scene. Amy's tiny body had imitated her big sister's pose and was supporting herself by leaning half of her figure over the kitchen island. Her light hair ending up intertwined with Alex's lying next to the little girl.

"Sure." Olivia said and Thomas spoke again.

"I'll go hurry Caleb." He announced before disappearing from the two women's eyes.

That way, Irene and Olivia were left alone with the pair of sleeping beauties. The guard got closer to Amy first and whispered into the little girl's ear. "Princess Amy, Princess Amy!" She said and a small, bright eye was opened halfway. "Prince Brian will be here soon. You need to prepare or you won't arrive to the ball on time!"

Amy let out a real yawn and faked another one. "A princess is never late, everyone else is simply early." She said as regally as she could, quoting one of her favorite movies, and rubbed her eyes.

"Eat your cereal, honey." Irene said to her daughter. "Or you won't have enough strength to dance later."

Once she saw that Amy complied her mother's wish, Olivia moved towards Alex and for a long moment she solely stared at her. The sight of the blonde more asleep than awake was too dazzling to destroy without appreciating it first.

She took a glance of the golden hair falling and covering the young woman's pale skin. Her mouth opened a little and her chest unconsciously raised before going back to its place as the air made its way in and out Alex's respiratory system. Long, white-as-snow arms were spread over the marbled island. And Alex was peaceful, unaware of her surroundings, right in the limbo between sleep and motion.

The brunette stood behind the blonde and moved golden locks out of the teenager's face. She pressed her lips against the top of Alex's head one single time and then moved to whisper in the girl's ear. "Time to wake up, Alex." She said before dropping another kiss on a pale cheek.

Barely over two feet apart, Irene watched how her daughter woke up and leisurely rose her upper body from the counter before instinctively nuzzling against Olivia's warmth. The woman's lips were pressed together in a straight line. Thoughts dancing around only one sentence, almost a duplicate of what she had said to the young guard a few minutes ago. _Please don't break my daughter._ From her spot on the other side of the kitchen island, Irene saw the scene with caution.

"Morning." Alex mumbled against the base of Olivia's neck and adjoined a pale hand with an olive-skinned one. She pulled the other woman closer but the brunette stepped back instead.

"Uh huh, breakfast first." Olivia said and while Alex yawned and stared at the counter, trying to wake herself up, she reached for the teenager's coffee and toast pushed it closer to her. The brunette dropped a gentle kiss on the blonde's cheek that last longer that it normally would.

Alex took a bite of her food and sighed. "I swear that you're worse than my mom sometimes."

"I love you too, darling." Irene's voice rang in Alex's ears and only in that moment the young Cabot realized her mother had been in the room the entire time.

"Wait" She turned to Olivia. "What about the no PDAs near danger zone clause?"

The blonde saw her former guard grin and shrug before she spoke. "Let's just say there's not a danger zone anymore."

Olivia was sure that if Alex would've been drinking her coffee the moment those words touched her ears, she would have spat it altogether over the kitchen island. Thankfully, that was not the case, either way; the young woman's reaction was indeed memorable.

Alex suddenly felt awake and full of energy as she had the need to start clapping or dancing or jumping or _something _to calm herself. She looked at her mother who simply nodded, confirming Olivia's words, and she couldn't contain it any longer.

The blonde stood up from her seat before anyone could notice and half-ran towards Irene, nearly asphyxiating the woman as she hugged her. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you." Was everything Alex could say; and she was glad when her mom hugged her back. The teen felt how a simple thank you-hug turned into an emotional embrace. She didn't need her mother to vocalize her thoughts to realize precisely what their were about.

"She's not going to hurt me." Alex whispered barely loud enough for her mom to hear it.

"I know." Irene replied and freed her daughter. The other blonde was beaming when she recognized the sound of footsteps walking down the stairs and entering the kitchen.

"Good morning." Olivia said kindly as both Caleb and Thomas appeared inside the room.

The older man replied but no answer was heard from the young boy.

"Caleb." Irene's strong voice sounded and the preteen looked at her. "Olivia said good morning."

"So?" He began. "What? You want me to pretend I like having her as my guard today just like she's going to pretend to be nice to me so she can continue to get into your daughter's pants?"

"Caleb!" Thomas' voice was the one that resonated this time. "You've got yourself another week grounded."

Caleb shrugged.

* * *

><p>Neon signs and yellow taxi cabs were two of the things you could easily spot while driving through New York City. But Alexandra Cabot was smart enough to figure out that none of those things could ever be enough entertainment for her guard to stay silent during their entire daily road to school.<p>

Alex felt intrigued about Jo Marlowe since the moment she met the woman, and was determined to get to know the real person beneath the reserved persona. And there was no doubt that when the young blonde placed her mind on something, there was no such thing as stopping her from getting it.

"So, Jo, are you my guard on Sundays?" Alex asked her guard trying to sound unconcerned.

The older blonde shook her head. "I believe Sunday is my day off, Alexandra. Why?"

The teenager grimaced. "Great! Because I want you to join my paintball team. My gut's telling me you'll be really good at it."

Jo turned her head and look at the younger woman who continued to drive. She wondered what was the real purpose behind the girl's invitation. "You want me to spend my day off playing paintball with you and your friends?"

"Well, not just my friends, my family and I'm sure most of your coworkers will be there too." Jo remained silent and was about to turn her gaze back to the road when Alex spoke again. "Come on! It's my birthday after all."

The guard pondered her answer for a moment. "I'll think about it."

_Mission accomplished. _Alex thought as she parked the car on a free spot.

* * *

><p>Caleb took his dark blue lunch bag out of the locker and smashed its door closed. Sneakers brushed the school's floor as he hurriedly made his way towards the usually empty room he liked to use as his personal cafeteria. Once settled there, he ate half of his sandwich before playing random chords on the guitar.<p>

Olivia followed each step the pre-teen made with a careful eye, keeping her distance but not extending it. "Sounds good." She commented with a small smile, leaning to her side in the doorway. "I'd never heard you play."

"Stop it." Caleb spoke with a voice that was both icy and filled of emotion and looked at the woman using the same intensity in his gaze.

The brunette looked at the boy confused. "Stop what?"

"Pretending you care." He in a matter-of-fact way said and returned to his music.

Olivia's eyes clouded as she recognized Caleb's words as her own.

_An eleven-year-old Olivia Benson helped herself through the small first aid kit placed in her and her mother's apartment's bathroom. She had gotten used to do so, especially in the past months since Aunt Sonya had left them. _

_The routine as always similar. She would hurt herself playing or running, walk herself home and play to be her own nurse while her mom asked her to open the bathroom door. This time, thankfully, it was only because of a scratched knee, so it shouldn't take her long to protect it from any possible infection. _

_"Olivia?" She listened to her mother's voice behind the bathroom door. "Are you okay?" She asked and knocked on the wood that separated them._

_The girl gave no response as she cleaned her wound with fresh water and stole a bit of gauze from the cabinet. She didn't need anyone's false sentiment. She was a big girl and could take care of herself._

_"Olivia, please, let me help." The sound of Serena's pleas continued and the young brunette was getting more irritated by the second. "Please, sweetie, I don't want you to get that scratch infected." _

_And that was it for Olivia. Because, how dared she?_

_The door was opened in a second to show an angered child whose face was covered in tears. "STOP IT! Stop pretending you care! Stop telling me you want me to be happy and getting drunk and throwing bottles at me within minutes! Stop it! I don't want your help. I don't want you to care. No one cares about me, not you, not Aunt Sonya, no one. So just stop pretending you do."_

_Serena stared at her child, her cheeks covered in tears that matched Olivia's. She kneeled in front of the kid and spoke from the heart. "I'm sorry, Olivia; I truly am." The girl was being successful at avoiding her mother's gaze but Serena took the small chin and carefully forced brown eyes to meet her own. "I know I've made many mistakes. I haven't been the best mother to you and I'm sorry for that. But I never ever want you to doubt how much I love you."_

_And as she saw the way her mom's eyes looked at her, Olivia knew she wasn't lying._

"In the real world, no one cares about anyone but themselves. They're just pretending." Caleb continued. "I wish they would stop the act and leave me alone."

"Because if you start caring about them too, you end up even more hurt when they finally turn their backs on you. Doesn't it?" Olivia offered and heard the boy reply with the mumble of a 'yeah' as he fidgeted with the guitar's strings. "But that's not always the case, Caleb. Your parents, your siblings, everyone in your family loves and cares about you. I care about you and I'm sure Fin does too. So there you have over fifteen people who won't leave you, who won't try to hurt you on purpose. That's a big number. It's bigger than mine." She said the last phrase almost to herself but Caleb heard it.

"I care about you, Olivia." He told her quietly but sweetly and she took his hand in hers.

"I know you do. And that proves that people care about others. Not everyone cares for everyone but we always care for someone. Don't we?"

Caleb barely nodded but took in in every word Olivia said to him. "Maybe." He said and a pregnant pause passed until he shrugged his shoulders and spoke once more. "I don't know."

The boy returned his attention back to his favorite instrument, this time, with Olivia as a quiet audience. They remained like this for a good twenty-minute span, until the brunette's phone rang.

Olivia left her spot and walked a few steps away from Caleb before picking up the call.

_"Benson."_ Caleb heard from the distance. _"What? You have to be kidding me."_ He looked up and saw how the young woman placed a hand over her forehead._ "Well, sorry if I don't think it's 'awesome'… Okay, we'll talk later. Thanks for the news. Say hi to your mom for me, okay?"_ His gaze went back down just before Olivia's returned to him.

"Everything okay?" He asked with the expected curiosity of a preteen.

Olivia looked at him, as if wondering what to reply, and then gave him a small nod.

"Who was it?" Caleb pushed.

The brunette slightly shrugged and took a seat somewhere near the boy. "My cousin. She's about your age."

"And what were the news?" He said as he wrote down in a notebook his last idea for a song.

Olivia sighed. "That your sister and I have become E! News' favorite couple for the day and they're doing a special segment with all the tips so you can 'dress to impress a New York princess'."

Caleb didn't reply for a few seconds but then he looked up at Olivia and whispered softly. "Sorry."

The brunette shook her head. "No, it's not your fault. It was going to happen sooner or later." Olivia assured him. "I didn't know we'll be America's sweethearts." She joked.

The preteen chuckled and gave her a genuine smile. "You know you're going to have fan-girls now, right?" He said and they both laughed at the idea of someone asking for Olivia's autograph.

"You better don't go stealing my things and selling them on Amazon." She warned him and the Cabot boy exploded in laughter. The image warmed the brunette's heart.

"Hey." Caleb said once he recomposed himself. "Do you want to… I don't know… maybe you… I have this thing…" He was stumbling with his own words and Olivia could notice.

"This thing?" She asked with a curious smile.

The boy sighed and spoke firmly."I'm writing a new song." He said. "I thought maybe… you'd want to hear it?"

Olivia beamed at him. "Of course."

He played the first chord and sung.

_Doesn't seem like the sun will come out._

_Anyway._

_Doesn't seem like this song will turn out how_

_I might have expected._

_Doesn't seem like I might do great_

_In today's horoscope._

_Or that the wind, for one day, _

_Just one small day, will blow my way._

_Don't expect any optimism now_

_And just let me stay in the dark._

_Don't wish me any sweet dreams tonight_

_I don't care about my life._

_But no,_

_Doesn't seem like I might catch the plane _

_That will start my jaunt._

_Well, neither seems like someone _

_might be liking this attempt of song._

_Neither seems like I might laugh again,_

_Not even when acting like a fool._

_Or that someone to feel kind _

_Or assure they're fine_

_Will give me a hand._

_Don't expect any optimism now_

_And just let me stay in the dark._

_Don't wish me any sweet dreams tonight_

_I don't care about my life._

_So, please, don't ask me any questions_

_And don't wait for suggestions_

_And don't expect anything, at least, for now._

_But when the sky'll be unclear_

_The rain will set me free._

_And then the clouds will simply disappear._

_All those gray clouds that keep filling my mind with doubts._

_Just let the rain wash your days._

_Just let the rain teach you ways._

_So, please, don't wait for suggestions_

_And don't ask me any questions_

_And don't expect anything, at least, for now._

_But when the sky'll be unclear_

_The rain will set me free._

_And then the clouds will simply disappear._

_All those gray clouds that keep filling my heart with doubts._

_Just let the rain wash your days._

_Just let the rain teach you ways._

_Doesn't seem like the sun will come out now. _

_No._

Olivia's jaw dropped at the profundity of this small boy's words and realized they might have much more in common that she would have ever imagined. "It's beautiful, Caleb."

He gave her a shy smile and thanked her before feelings her arms embracing his body.

"We'll make sure the sun comes out, okay?" She whispered in his ear.

"Okay." He replied and knew he wasn't alone anymore.

**And there it is! **

**The song is a translation of Vanesa Butera's "Canción Pesimista" you can listen to it at: youtube /watch?v=Dzz_N5XNsCE **

**I thought about Caleb the minute I heard the song and thought it was perfect. I'm deeply sorry if the translation is as horrible as I believe it is. I'm not good at translating songs from English to Spanish so multiple that by a thousand and you'll understand how awful I am making spanish-english translations.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll be waiting for your reviews and your thoughts on the story!**


	55. Thursday

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews/faves/follows! You guys rock!**

**Hope you enjoy the new chapter :)**

The alarm clock sounded and awoke her. Her head spun in a way that didn't happen her early-twenties. But she was aware that it was not the alarm's fault. Loud, noisy knocks surrounded her ears and the blonde tried, without any success, to cover them with pale hands but it didn't work. She groaned and got up from her bed, realizing where the sound came from.

"Mooooooooooooooooom! Are you up yet? Moooooooom!" Irene could hear her sixteen-year-old daughter's voice as the teenager knocked hard on the door.

The woman stood in front of her nightstand table and silenced the still ringing alarm before letting the young blonde know she had been acknowledged. "I'll be out in a second, Alex! Stop knocking!"

Outside the room, Alex grimaced to herself and raced her way to the kitchen as she waited for her mother to make her arrival downstairs.

It was somewhat out of the ordinary to see Alexandra Cabot full of energy this early in the morning. But it wasn't every day that a genius plan woke the teen up.

Alex poured coffee for herself and, once her mug was full, went ahead to take out of the oven a tray of her mom's favorite cinnamon rolls. She sensed the sweet essence of the pastry and quietly moaned. "Perfect", Alex thought. Reaching up to a wooden cupboard, she located a pink medium-sized mug that read 'we love you mom!'. It had been a mother's day present several years ago. Alex made a few steps with the object in her hands and watched at the steaming, dark drink fell from the pot to its only stop before being consumed. She added a spoonful of sugar believing it might make the medicine go down—or as it would more properly apply under the circumstances, the plan work out. As the final step, Alex decided to decorate her creation with a small swirl of cream and chocolate grated in the smallest pieces.

The teenager moved around the kitchen island and set the full mug in front of one of the stools. A small plate for the just-baked cinnamon rolls and a pair of napkins were set near them.

She hummed. "Something's missing." Alex thought aloud as she scanned the part of the counter that was being prepared with care. An imaginary light bulb appeared above the blonde's head as she realized what was absent.

Irene made her entrance to the luxurious but warm kitchen and saw the obvious bribe her daughter had set up for her. The mother-of-four's favorite breakfast, done with a perfect execution, and the day's New York Times laying next to it. But of course, there was something else, the soft sound of her preferred radio station was filling the air.

"Good morning." She said and walked straight to the spot prepared for her. Irene sat a few moments in silence, then took in the way Alex was standing barely two feet apart, waiting for her to acknowledge the display. "What does this great banquet mean?" She asked her daughter with sincere curiosity.

"What?" Alex played innocent as she sipped from her coffee mug.

"Alexand—" Irene began but the blonde girl spoke before she could finish.

"I was wondering if I could take Amy out for lunch today."

Irene ate a cinnamon roll with delight while she contemplated her daughter's request and the obvious reason beneath it. "You want to go to a kids' restaurant and have lunch with Amy?" Alex nodded. "Today?" And the blonde told her mother 'yes' with her head once again. Irene patted her lips' surroundings with a napkin. She asked another question. "Is it a coincidence that your sister's guard today happens to be Olivia?"

Alex was very much aware that her mom was going to figure it out sooner or later, though she had hoped for it to be much, much later. "Maaaaybe." She answered and fidgeted with her mug. "But it is true I want to spend time with Amy." The teenager assured her mother and Irene chuckled.

"I know, darling. But neither of us can deny I am correct when I say that the main reason behind this lovely breakfast is that you want to have lunch with Olivia." She said without malice and full of kindness, understanding her daughter's feelings.

The younger blonde didn't admit nor negate her mom's theory. "So…" She saw her mother tasting her own hot drink. "May I?"

Irene gave a tender smile to the soon-to-be seventeen-year-old. "Yes, you may, Alex." She said and felt the girl's arms around her.

"Thank you thank you thank you!"

"No need to thank me. You're now going to wake up your sister and get her ready for school." Irene pointed out and Alex beamed still.

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

><p>Pink. Princesses. Pink. Dolls. More pink. Puffy and small but elegant chairs. Disney's top hits playing in the background. Yet more pink. And… was that a tea-time play set?<p>

Olivia could barely believe the place where she found herself. Children whose heights barely reached her hip running and playing in every corner. The smell of recently baked sweets filled the aura. Alex's hand grasped her own as the brunette took in the chosen restaurant's atmosphere.

"It's so…" Olivia tried to find a word that could describe with exactitude where she was.

"Horrifingly girly." Jo Marlowe muttered and finished her sentence for her. The blonde guard had insisted her protégée that she would just wait outside or stand far but close enough to still keep an eye on them. Alexandra had very different ideas as she had forced Jo to join their meal.

Olivia chuckled and glanced towards her co-worker. "Yeah."

From a completely different perspective, Amy analyzed the place. The gigantic grin on her face couldn't even began to express every single one of the emotions she was feelings at the moment. "Lexi…" She pulled from her big sister's hand, calling for her attention.

"Yes, Amy?" The teenager asked.

The girl looked up. "You are the best sister ever." She said with excitement and the three older woman smiled before a young man dressed in an impeccable outfit approached them.

"Welcome to The Princess' Palace, Your Majesties. My name is Sir Adam. How many members of the royalty will be dining with us today?" He asked with the grace of a real lord.

"Just the four of us, Sir Adam." Alex replied and her grin was enhanced by the way Amy's eyes were gazing at the waiter.

The man gestured towards a nearby booth that was barely a few feet apart from the playground. "Then please follow me." The group followed and soon enough was sitting in their assigned table; Olivia motioned Alex to sit first but Amy stopped them when she called for her guard's attention. "But 'Livia_ I_ want to sit with you!" The brunette sent an apologetic gaze to the blonde teenager as she went to the other booth and sat at the end of it, leaving her in front of Jo.

"Now, it'll be three queens and a princess if I'm correct?" 'Sir Adam' asked as he began to lay out the proper crowns for the group to wear. Amy was the one answering with enthusiasm.

"Nope." The little girl shook her head and began her explanation. "One queen, like Queen Clarisse. And three princesses but one of them is a warrior, like Mulan. And I've always thought Princess Lexi looked like Cinderella but I don't think she really likes her. I don't know why. Maybe cos of her shoes, I don't think Lexi would like to walk with only one shoe cos she lost the other one. I wouldn't care cos I'm brave, like Merida. She has ginger hair, like Ariel. I like Ariel, because she's a mermaid and she can sing and she has pretty hair and her daddy looks like Santa but with a mermaid body. Olivia how do you call male mermaids? Oh! Miss Jo can you sing like Queen Clarisse?"

The small princess had almost managed to eat her entire plate before running towards the games, something very unusual if Alex had to be truthful. Ever since her sister had been born, all she could remember was the picture of Amy escaping from the dining table. The little girl loved to secretly make her way to the nearest playing section.

Although Alex wasn't one to complain of it. Especially when it gave her the chance to change seats and take the girl's free spot right next to the brunette she loved.

"Hey" Olivia said casually and with a smile as the younger woman cuddled her.

Alex felt lips dropping a gentle peck on the top of her head and replied with a sleepy voice. "Hey."

Olivia's phone vibrated for what felt as the millionth time in the past hour. She picked it up and checked on it before replying the sender in an instant. Alex quirked her eyebrow. "May I know who are you cheating me with?" She asked playfully and attempted to steal the brunette's cell but did not succeed at it.

Laughter filled the air as Olivia answered. "Every day we spend together I reconfirm my theory." She said and Alex stared at her confused.

"What theory?"

The guard squeezed their hands together. "That you're at your cutest when you're jealous." She whispered and Alex rolled her eyes, letting Olivia know that she was _not _jealous.

The older woman chuckled and replied more seriously this time. "It's your mom's guard, Elliot."

Jo, who had been staring at Amy with very little interest in the couple's conversation, suddenly flinched and paid more attention to the dialogue occurring in front of her.

Alex looked up to her, misunderstanding, and Olivia took the opportunity to tease her for another moment. "What? Don't tell me you're still jealous…"

The teenager sighed in exasperation. "Please, I never was." She informed her and the brunette muttered something that resonated in the teen's ears along the lines of 'yeah, sure'. The blonde shot her loved one a glare and continued. "I didn't realize you two were _buddies_."

Olivia giggled as she neared her lips to Alex's cheek. "You. Are. The. Cutest. Thing. Ever." The blonde grinned at the affection and Olivia answered her unspoken question. "I wouldn't say we're best friends forever but… yeah, we're _buddies_ if you want to call it like that."

Alex nodded. "When did that happen?" She wondered out loud.

The guard wasn't sure if she should give Alex the truthful answer, considering how much it could bother her. But then, Olivia realized things _had_ worked out with Elliot at the end of the day, so what could go wrong? "Well… He came over to my apartment after you and your mom left on Saturday and kinda barked on how inappropriate our relationship was…"

"HE DID WHAT? WHY?" Alex exclaimed and asked for an explanation.

"Hey." Olivia said, her voice filled with softness. "Relax." She placed her hand on Alex's forearm and caressed it. "He did that but a couple days ago I got a call from him and we met at a café. He apologized." The blonde didn't relax until the last phrase was spoken and the brunette noticed. "Hey, you have nothing to worry about. He's cool with it and he's not a bad guy."

_No, he's not. _

Jo thought when she heard Olivia's words and realized it had been over three years since she had last seen her former coworker. Years in which the blonde woman had endured a disease unwanted by many and survived by little. She was one of those survivors. She had won the battle tough no one knew due to her silence. _Now that's brave, Marlowe, hiding the truth. _She mocked herself but then realized that it would always be better than the feeling of pitiful eyes staring.

"Okay." Alex's words took Jo out of her thoughts.

"You sure?" Olivia inquired, sensing her still a bit uncomfortable. The Cabot child merely nodded and kissed the brunette on the cheek.

"I'm sure." Alex smiled. "I'm going to go play with Amy. You guys coming?" She asked as she left the booth. Both women replied positively and followed her.

* * *

><p>Alex opened the door of the Mayoral Mansion and watched as her younger sister jumped through the staircase's steps straight to her bedroom. The blonde walked inside the house and turned around, making blue meet brown. Lips curved into matching smiles.<p>

"I had fun today." Olivia said as she felt pale arms embracing her and a soft hum rang on her neck. "Though I think I've had enough sugar cookies for the rest of the year."

What it seemed a cascade of graceful laughter echoed in the room and, particularly, in the brunette's ear. "I had fun too." Alex told her. "Do you think Jo did?"

Olivia raised her eyebrow with genuine curiosity. She knew the teenager had been intrigued by her new guard since day one but what exactly was she scheming?

"I just want to know her story." Alex recognized the look on the other woman's face and replied to Olivia's unasked question.

A quiet sigh came out of the darker woman's throat. "I know but… Al, you can't force her to trust you. Everyone has their secrets and if she's a good guard for you then that is all that matters."

A set of light-colored shoulders shrugged and equally snow-white hands caressed Olivia's back with gentleness. "Maybe… you could ask your _buddy _about her." Alex proposed and dropped a feather kiss on her loved-one's neck. "Please?" She continued and this time her lips met the olive skin just below the other woman's earlobe.

"You are awfully evil." The brunette pointed out and both ladies chuckled.

"I'm more of a the-end-justifies-the-means kind of person, if that's what you're trying to say, yes." Their eyes connected and after a small pause Alex asked. "Will you?"

Resigned, Olivia agreed with a nod before changing the subject.

"So… tomorrow…" The Cabot girl heard her silky voice.

"Tomorrow…" Alex whispered and the brunette's smile grew even wider.

"I'll pick you up at six-thirty?" The blonde teen was beaming as she said yes with her head and her former guard could notice. "Okay then." Olivia leaned in and let her hand go behind Alex's neck as she kissed her. "See you tomorrow, birthday girl."

"See you tomorrow, Liv." Alex replied in a whisper and closed the door.

She rested her body over the wood and clutched herself. Nothing else existed; there was no Jo Marlowe with a mysterious past, no brothers with social networks, no little sisters with endless layers of pink clothing, no parents with on-the-spotlight careers. It was just Alex and Olivia. At least, it would be like that for tomorrow.

**A/N: Next chapter: THE DATE + ALEX'S BIRTHDAY!**

**Let me know what you think! Leave a review with your thoughts on the story :)**


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